


The One I Long For

by CuddleFish124



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Drama, M/M, Romance, Tragedy, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-15
Updated: 2013-06-29
Packaged: 2017-11-18 17:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuddleFish124/pseuds/CuddleFish124
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Throughout his life, Tyki had only known three things: follow the Millennium Earl, destroy Innocence, and kill humans.  Now, with Tyki a prisoner of war, Noah destroyed, can Allen help Tyki see the error of his ways? Without completely falling for the man?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Careful!” shouted Allen, dodging the Akuma’s attack. “Don’t let them get behind you!” Lenalee yelled as she spun around and delivered a round kick to the Level 1 Akuma, cracking its armor. 

“Crown Clown!” yelled Allen, the white cape shooting out its ribbons to pierce through the machine. The pitiful creature shrieked before falling to the ground in a ball of flame. 

“Oy Allen!” called Lavi, looking up at the white-haired teen. “Watch where you crash those things! It almost hit me and Yu!”

“Don’t call me Yu!” barked Kanda, slicing another pair of Akuma in half.

The attack seemed to be endless! It was late in the day and Kanda, Lavi, Lenalee, and Allen were in Germany, trying to retrieve a piece of Innocence that had been discovered. However, a huge group of Akuma had ambushed them, stopping their quest all together.

Where could they all be coming from? Thought Allen, slicing open yet another machine. Unfortunately neither he nor the others had any time to think about that. He saw Lenalee dodge the sword of a level 3 Akuma and quickly took this opportunity to come up from behind and stab the creature.

“Allen behind you!” yelled Lavi.

“Big hammer, little hammer, grow, grow, grow!” Lavi’s hammer collided with the Akuma’s skull in a bang. Kanda then helped Lenalee and Allen dispose of the Akuma they were fighting.

“Stupid Moyashi,” snarled Kanda “You should have been able to see the one behind you!”

“My name is Allen, Ba-Kanda!” snapped Allen. “How many times do I have to tell you?!?”

“Um guys,” hollered Lavi, barely dodging another Akuma attack, “I do not think that this is the best time to be arguing about this!”

Suddenly, they saw someone moving closer to them in the distance. “Allen-sama!” It was Toma. “I have contacted headquarters, and they are dispatching Krory, Miranda, Bookman, and a few other Finders to come and help us. Just hold out for a few more hours, they'll be here.” Everyone groaned in unison. Kanda just looked pissed.

“A few more hours!?!” Shouted Lenalee, kicking an Akuma in the face, “We can’t last that long!"

Allen sighed in frustration. He was tired, hungry, quickly running out of energy and was not sure how much longer he could last.

Suddenly, he saw it. The thing they had been searching for: the Innocence. How could we have missed it? Unfortunately, Allen was not the only one to have spotted it.

“Grab it!” screeched a level 2. “Take it to the Millennium Earl!”

“Allen! Get it!” shouted Lavi, but Allen was already on it…or was supposed to be on it. As Allen had made for the Innocence, something grabbed him from behind.

“My, my, isn’t this a sight to see,” came a voice over the noise. Allen closed his eyes and tried to convince himself he was hearing things. Why did HE have to be here? Thought Allen

“Why hello there, boy.” Said Tyki Mikk, stepping out from behind a tree. “Fancy seeing you here. I assume you heard about the Innocence as well?” Allen scowled. How he hated this man. Ever since he killed Suman and cut off his arm, Allen had always despised this Noah over the rest. Even more so than Road! “My, what is with the sour face boy?” asked the Noah, puffing out some smoke from his mouth. “I would have thought that you would be happy to see me. I see your arm is doing well.”

“Shut up you bastard!” shouted Allen. “It was because of you that I had to re-grow my arm!”

“Very true, however hasn’t that made you stronger? I thought you would be more appreciative of me destroying your Innocence.”

“Allen the Innocence!” hollered Lenalee, but it was too late. An Akuma had already run off with the shard.

“Kanda, Lavi, go after him!” yelled Allen. “I’ll hold off the Noah.”

“Since when do I have to take orders from you, Moyashi?” sneered Kanda. “Last time I checked, you were not in charge of the mission.”

“Oh just go after them you two!” shouted Lenalee. “We’ll meet you back at the hotel.”

“No I think we should stay and help. And besides Allen, he is a Noah. Heck, he’s Tyki Mikk! You are going to need more than Lenalee and yourself to defeat him.” said Lavi, brining his hammer down to smash another Akuma.

“Fine!” sighed Lenalee. “Lavi, you stay. Kanda, get the Innocence. We’ll meet up later.”

“Sweet!” shouted Lavi, bringing his hammer up again. “I’ve been wanting to fight this guy again!”

“If you Exorcists’ are done chatting may we move on?” asked the Noah. “This is getting boring and I don’t have time to play around with you children.”

“We were just trying to decide who is going to kick your butt!” shouted Lavi. Lenalee sighed, rolling her eyes at the redhead. Allen was already powering up, pulling off his left arm and turning it into a sword. 

“Finally, I get to actually do something.” Tyki said, as he stomped his cigarette out. Allen didn’t even wait for the cigarette to hit the ground. With a cry Allen brought down his sword, only to miss the Noah by an inch. Tyki responded by releasing a swarm of Tease to envelop the white-haired Exorcist. Lenalee kicked the butterflies to Lavi, who squashed them with a whack of his hammer. Allen tried to land another blow, but Tyki let the attack go through him easily.

Lavi brought his down, but Tyki only had to lift an arm up to stop the Hammer from striking its mark.

“Lenalee!” shouted Lavi.

“I know!” the girl barked. “Dark Boots!” She cried, kicking off a tree and sending the thing flying in Tyki’s direction.

“You!” grunted Tyki, his arm barely coming up in time to throw up a shield.

“Allen now!” shouted Lenalee. 

“Crown Clown!” screamed Allen, thrusting his sword deep into Tyki’s head. Tyki shrieked in pain. We got him! Thought Allen. However, the teen’s joy was short-lived. Suddenly, Allen felt his sword begin to shake. As the Exorcist looked down at his target, his face seemed to pale. The Noah…was laughing. 

“Thank you, boy!” said Tyki around Allen’s sword.

“ALLEN, GET WAY FROM HIM!” But it was too late; Tyki’s transformation had already begun.

“Allen, we have to retreat for now!” yelled the girl. “We are too weak! We need to rest and regain our energy!”

“No! We have to get-” but before Allen could even finish his sentence, Tyki powered up to his full form, knocking Allen to the floor.

“Allen!” hollered Lenalee and Lavi together. Allen was pinned. He could not even move his head. Above him was Tyki, smiling his wicked simile. The teen struggled against the restraints, but it was no use, he was completely helpless. Allen’s friends tried to help him, but Tyki easily restrained them with his tentacles.

“How would you like to see your friend die? I bet you would enjoy that very much.”

“Wait, you can talk?” asked Allen, looking up at the demon.

“Why yes, I can, boy.” Replied Tyki, smiling down at the white-haired boy. “After you help me achieve this form, the Earl did a little experimenting on me, and as a result, I am able to keep my mind when I change into this form.” Tyki’s grip tightened around Allen’s neck, making him gasp for air. “I guess I should thank you, boy. Because of you, I have now gained this incredible power.”

“Allen!” his friends cried again, but Tyki’s tentacles easily knocked them to the ground. As Allen watched the Noah above him, the Tease were taking on a very strange shape. They were all swarming together and forming one solid object. Allen saw to his dismay, that it was an exact replica of his sword. Tyki grasped the handle and grinned down at Allen.

“Goodbye, Allen Walker.” He sneered, and threw the sword down at his heart. Allen closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to erupt in his chest. Yet the sword never reached its mark.

“Kanda!” shouted Allen, sounding surprised. How did Kanda get back? Wasn’t he supposed to go to the hotel and meet them at the hotel?

“Che, baka moyashi.” Spat the swordsmen. “Can’t even kill a Noah? What a weakling.”

“Shut up! Just let me…”Allen then realized that he was no longer restrained. Lavi and Lenalee seemed to be O.K. as well. Allen heard a scream, and looked up to see Tyki holding his left arm. A deep gash was cut into the demon’s limb, and the wound was starting to bleed heavily. Allen looked at Tyki again, this time using his cured Eye. What he saw was something that he had never seen. It looked like a human, but was all black and smaller than the rest of Tyki’s body. Allen blinked, and realized that the thing inside Tyki was the true Noah spirit. The same thing he had tried to kill when they were in the Noah’s Ark. But this time, he could see its true form, and saw there were gashes along its body. As he looked closer, he saw that the cuts were made from a sword. He realized that he had made those wounds when Tyki’s true form awakened. It seemed as though they had never healed. As Allen studied the creature, he saw something moving inside the Inner Noah. It looked like a heart.

“Lenalee, Lavi, Kanda, grab Tyki and hold him still!” 

Kanda looked a little pissed, but followed his orders nonetheless. The Noah had no time to react. He tried restraining the Exorcists’ with his tentacles, but was too slow. Tyki tried to phase through their grip, but realized that they had grabbed his severed tentacles and were gripping him with those. He could not phase through himself, and could do nothing to get out of their grip. Allen then jumped into the air, swinging his clawed arm down on the Noah’s spirit. With a cry the thing was torn from its human body. Tyki screamed as he felt the Noah being ripped from within him, before falling to the ground, unconscious.

“KANDA!!!!!” but Kanda was already on it. In the blink of an eye, Kanda brought his sword down on the Noah spirit, slicing it in two. The Noah let out a piercing shriek, before exploding in a bright white light. For a few brief moments, everything was silent.

“What did you do, Allen?” wondered Lenalee, looking at the unconscious man.

“I tore out the Noah from Tyki’s body.” Panted the teen, clearly exhausted from the effort. “Kanda…then killed the spirit.” Kanda looked at Tyki’s motionless body, and raised his sword again.

“Stop!!!” shouted Allen, his voice making Kanda’s sword stop mid-swing.

“Allen, what are you doing?” asked Lavi.

“Don't kill him!”

“Why? He is a Noah, and therefore deserves to die.”

“No!” said Allen. “When I became an Exorcist, I swore that I would never kill a human, or let another Exorcist kill another a human. Tyki’s Noah is gone! Kanda killed it! He is now a normal human being!”

Allen had no idea what had overcome him, but could not do anything about his feelings. “As long as I am an Exorcist in the Black Order, I will not let you kill a human, even if they were a Noah before!” The other three Exorcists looked at each other, wondering what to do.

“Allen, if headquarters finds out about this…”

“I don’t care.” Said Allen, stepping in front of Tyki. “I will take full responsibility for my actions.” The air was silent for a few moments; the only sound to be heard was the panting of the teens.

“All right Allen,” sighed Lenalee. “We won’t kill him.”

“But Lenalee!” protested Lavi. Lenalee silenced him with a look.

“I said we will not kill him, but we will take him back to Headquarters immediately. I’m a little suspicious of all of this. A Noah should not be this easy to defeat.” Allen didn’t like the idea of Tyki being taken back to the Black Order, but if it meant that the man wouldn’t die, then Allen would have to deal with it.

“Alright. Kanda, did you get the Innocence?” Asked Allen.

“Yes, I did,” sneered Kanda, holding up the Innocence piece.

“Good.” said Lenalee. She looked over at the unconscious Noah. “Let’s meet up with the reinforcements. We’re going home.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at Headquarters...

Chapter 2

It was a rather cloudy day at Headquarters. Komui looked out the window at the gloomy sky, thinking about Lenalee. What was taking her so long?! They were supposed to return over 2 hours ago! Komui thought nervously. He always hated to send his little sister on a mission. I hope she is all right. Just then, he heard Reever come into his office.

“Komui, Lenalee and her friends have returned to Headquarters.” Reported the man.

“Really? Oh yay!” cried Komui, hopping up and down in joy, his somber mood suddenly forgotten. “I take it that the mission was successful?”

“Yes, the Innocence shard has been taken to Helvaska. She is now placing the piece within her for safe keeping.” Reever seemed to pause. “However, Lenalee and the group seem to have brought something, or rather, someone else along.” 

“Oh really?” Asked Komui, clearly interested in the matter “Who did they bring? A new accommodator?”

“You won’t believe me, but they brought back a Noah.” Komui suddenly turned serious. What is a Noah doing here? WHY is a Noah here? Could they have killed him? No, they wouldn’t have brought the body along if he were dead. But why did they bring him here? A million questions scattered in Komui’s head.

“Sir? Sir? We need to get down to the science department as quickly as possible. Lenalee says she had an explanation for all of this.” Komui shook himself from his trance, seeing Reever’s hand wave in front of his face.

“Yes, you are right, let us go.” Komui said, pushing his glasses up. “I need to know what is going on as soon as possible.”

************************************************************************************

Allen hated the attention that was being drawn to them. Everyone seemed to be looking at the group of young Exorcists. He heard whispers all around him as they walked down the hall. Why did they bring back a Noah? Is he even still alive? This is bad. What if the Earl comes for him? Lenalee didn’t like it either, but then again, it was better that the Noah was here, instead of returning to the Millennium Earl. Tyki was still unconscious, but was being carried in by Lavi. Kanda, Bookman, and Krory, were standing guard in case Tyki woke up. And he almost did so once. Kanda knocked him out with a whack to the head before Tyki was fully conscious, but was repaid by receiving one in return from Lenalee. After that, they resorted to Miranda using her Innocence to make Tyki stay in his unconscious state. It took a while to get back to headquarters, but they managed to send Toma ahead to alert everyone that they were bringing back a Noah. Apparently, they had gotten there first.

Lenalee!” shouted Komui, throwing his arms around his little sister. “I am so glad you are back!”

“Nii-san,” Lenalee replied, struggling away from her brother’s embrace. “If you have not forgotten, we have a…guest with us.” 

“Oh, right,” said Komui, releasing his sister and straightening his coat. As he looked over Lenalee’s shoulder, he saw what Reever had said was indeed correct: they had brought back a Noah. And by the looks of him, it was Tyki Mikk.

“Lenalee,” Komui asked while pushing up his glasses, “Why have you brought a Noah here?”

“Why don’t you ask Allen,” Said Kanda, glaring at Allen. “He was the one who refused to kill him.” Komui shifted his gaze from Tyki to Allen. Allen held his gaze, knowing that he was in a lot of trouble, but was ready to take on the responsibility.

“Allen?” he inquired. Allen took a deep breath and then recited the events of the mission.

“I just couldn’t kill him,” he finished, “I swore to myself that I would never harm another human being.”

“Allen,” Komui sighed, a small frown showing on his face. “While I agree with your morals, I don’t think a Noah is exactly a human.” 

“Tyki is now,” said Allen as he walked up to Komui, “because I killed the Noah inside him.”

It was as if a bomb went off in the science department. How did you do that? Are you sure that’s true? That’s a lie! The Noah is only trying to trick us! It seemed as if the entire room wanted answers to their questions.

“A-Allen-”

“Tyki Mikk is no longer a threat.” Stated Allen, clearly not willing to back down. “He is now not so different as I am from you.”

“Are you sure about this?” Asked Komui, surprise and shock clearly visible on his face.

“I am positive.”

“Wait a minute!” came a voice above the rest. The whole room turned to see Howard Link looking over at the group.

“Link-san!” Said Lavi, walking over to the man. How are you-”

“How do we know that this is true Allen?” Link asked, walking passed the red-haired teen. “How do we know that you are telling the truth?” Allen opened his mouth but Link cut him off. “I am sorry Mr. Walker, but the Black Order cannot only rely on your word.” Link then turned to look at Komui, his mouth in its usual frown. “Komui, you and the rest of the science department are to run tests on this Noah and determine if he really is just a human now.”

“Link!” shouted Allen, grabbing the teen’s arm. “Link! You don’t have to do that! I saw it with my own eyes! Everyone saw it with their own eyes! I tore the Noah from Tyki Mikk’s body and Kanda destroyed it!” Link’s response was to shove Allen’s hand from his shoulder and walk over to Reever.

“Reever, you are to prepare a holding cell to keep this Noah in for the time being.”

“Link-san!” Now it was Lenalee’s turn to shout. “That is too harsh! No one deserves to be held in there!”

“Silence woman!” Said Link, looking over at the girl. “I will be leaving to talk with the higher ups about this matter. Until then he is to be held in solitary confinement. Is that clear?”

“But-”

“Give up, Lenalee.” muttered Lavi, placing a hand on the girl. “I know that this isn’t fair, but Link is only doing his duty as a member of the CROW. Don’t be angry with him.” Lenalee seemed like she wanted to protest, but in the end didn’t. “Besides,” continued the teen, looking down at her. “I bet this won’t go on for long. It will only be for a few days.”

“Mr. Lavi is correct.” Came Link’s voice from across the way. “These are not permanent measures, but they will be in place for the time being.”

Link looked up at Miranda, Kanda, and Lavi. “Could you take the Noah to a holding cell for the time being? I need to have a conference with the higher up’s to alert them of the current situation. I must leave as soon as possible.” He turned to Allen. “Also, I need them to decide what Mr. Walker’s punishment will be for saving the Noah.” Allen opened his mouth to say something, but kept silent. He knew that this would happen, but it was a small price to pay for Tyki’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N) Chapter 2 is up! Yay! I am so sorry that this chapter is so short (the next two will be short as well ^^;), but it's necessary for the story to continue. Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> You can also read my story here: http://AnimeGirl124.deviantart.com/art/The-One-I-Long-For-Chapter-1-204885422
> 
> WARNING!!! This fanfic for D.Gray-man is SHONEN-AI!!!! (That means boyxboy!) The pairing is Tyki Mikk x Allen Walker
> 
> Cover page: http://AnimeGirl124.deviantart.com/art/The-One-I-Long-For-Cover-185439722


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Several days later, Allen was charged with his punishment: once Tyki woke up, Allen would be in charge of taking care of the Ex-Noah. That meant feeding the man and watching over him to make sure he didn’t do anything bad. 

“Why can’t a member of the CROW take care of this?” asked Lenalee at the breakfast table. “They are much more suited for this kind of thing.”

“The CROW are somewhat involved.” replied Allen, taking a sip from his glass. “While I am convinced Tyki is no longer a threat, the higher-ups are not so easily persuaded. Not only will Tyki be caged in the cells, but he will also be put under several restraint spells, just in case something were to happen. By doing this they feel safer, and I will still have to take care of him.”

“Look’s like you have your work cut out for you Allen,” said Lavi, leaning back in his chair. Allen yawned as he got up.

“Where are you going Allen?” asked Krory, looking up from his dish.

“To deal with my punishment.”

************************************************************************************

Allen sighed as he walked down to the Science Department. They had finished testing Tyki two days earlier, and they confirmed that Allen had indeed killed the Noah inside him. However, the Black Order was still going to be cautious of the man. Allen had hoped that Tyki would remain unconscious for a few more days, but his hopes were dashed when he looked into the cell.

“Where am I?” asked Tyki, turning his head to the side. As he reached up to block the light above him, he realized that he was handcuffed. As he looked around, the man saw that he was in a small cell with only a bed and a chair. Tyki tuned to see on his back, there were several binding spell papers. “What happened to me?”

“Well hello there, Tyki,” said Allen. Tyki spun his head to see a white-haired boy staring at him through metal bars. Tyki groaned as he realized what had happened. 

“Why are you here, boy?” sighed the Ex-Noah, sitting upon his prison bed. “Come to tease me about being in a cage?”

“I have been assigned to look over you once you awoke.” Tyki groaned again, lying down and turning his head away form Allen’s face. 

“Hey don't look so gloomy.” chirped the boy, “I don’t like this either. I can think of a million better things to do than hang out here with you.”

“So could I, you stupid boy, but as you can see, I don’t have the luxury of going anywhere, much less a place I would like to be.” 

Allen sighed as he stood up. “You should just be grateful for what I’ve done for you already.”

_What he did for me?_ Tyki wondered. _What does he mean by that?_ He had no time to ask because at that moment, Lenalee appeared, carrying some coffee.

“Hey Allen!” she said cheerfully, running up to him, “You forgot your coff-” but stopped dead when she saw the Tyki was now awake.

“Yo,” said Tyki, grinning. “Could I possibly have some of that?”

“Oh, I see he has woken up.” Said Lenalee, glaring at the Noah. “And no, you can’t have this. This is for God’s helpers only.” Tyki frowned, about to say that he was one of God’s helpers, but knew it would be pointless to argue over the subject.

“Lenalee, I am going to go upstairs to eat and get Tyki some food.” Allen said without looking at the Ex-Noah. “I will be back later.”

“I will see you up there.” replied Lenalee, as her face darkened. “I have some stuff to tell this guy.”

“Suit yourself.” remarked Allen, and disappeared from view. Lenalee turned to Tyki again.

“I just hope you know how lucky you are. Kanda would have killed you in a heartbeat, but it was Allen who saved you.” And with that, she left the Ex-Noah to his thoughts. 

_The boy was the one who let me live?_ He thought, now understanding what Allen had meant by his comment. 

_Why?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Ok! So here is chapter 3! I am SO sorry that it is this short (expect chapter 4 to be really short too), but I PROMISE Chapter 5 will be longer, WAY longer! I might upload chapter 4 today because of that, but I'm not sure. Anyway, enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now who to leave Tyki with while Allen is gone?

The next few weeks were not very exciting, but they were still not normal. Allen was still getting strange looks from his peers, and could hear them talking about him. Allen didn’t like it, but he knew it was a small price to pay for taking a now ex-enemy back to the Black Order. Everyone was suspicious because the Earl had made no move to retrieve Tyki so far. It was interesting though because, while Tyki and Allen hated each other beyond belief (or at least on Allen’s half), the two had miraculously developed some sort of a relationship over the past few weeks. It was almost a routine. Allen would come down to give Tyki food. In turn Tyki would tell him stories about his human friends. Most of the time their conversations ended in anger, but they didn’t speak at all about the war.

“Good morning Allen!” called a voice from across the dining room. Allen turned his head to see Lenalee and Lavi walking over to him.

“Good morning you guys.”

“Are you all ready to go?” Asked Lavi. “We have to leave by nine today.”

“I know.” Replied Allen, “but I have a few things I have to take care of first.”

“Right.”

************************************************************************************

“Oi wake up Tyki!” said Allen, banging on the bars of his cell. “Time for breakfast.” He heard Tyki groan and then get out of his cot. Allen suspected that Tyki had tried to phase through the bars of his cell earlier that morning, only to discover that he no longer possessed the powers of a Noah.

“Tell me boy, “ asked the Noah, grabbing the food from Allen’s hands, “Why did you let me live? Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance? I tore your arm from your body, and left you for dead in China.” 

Allen said nothing. Tyki smirked, leaning so that his head was sticking out of the bars. “I killed your stupid little friend Suman did I not?” he whispered. Allen froze. “He was so pathetic, asking me to let him live, just to see his daughter who is probably already dead.” Tyki looked at Allen. “You should be thanking me boy. I saved that little girl from knowing that the father she so much loved was actually just a coward.”

“Don’t you dare talk about Suman!” spat Allen, seeming to shake himself from his thoughts. “You of all people have no right to talk about him!”

“Oh yes I do, because I was the one who killed him.”

“Damn it! How can you still be so cocky even after what I have done for you?” Tyki just smirked. Allen glared back at him. “I came down here to tell you that I will be leaving for a while! I was going to have Krory watch over you, but now I’ve changed my mind!” And with that, the boy took off, leaving Tyki to his own thoughts.

************************************************************************************  
“Kanda!” shouted Allen, running to the swordsman’s room. “Kanda could you do-”

“Shut up! baka moyashi!” shouted Kanda, grabbing Allen by the hair and shoving his face into the wall next to his door.

“That hurt, Ba-kanda!” shouted Allen, trying to get free from Kanda’s hold. “I just wanted to ask if you could take care of Tyki Mikk while I am gone on my mission.”

“No way in hell, baka moyashi!” said Kanda, pushing Allen’s face farther into the wall.

“Crown Clown!” shouted Allen, releasing his Innocence and swiping his claw at Kanda. Kanda dodged, releasing the boy in the process. “Allen got up and rubbed his face, looking extremely annoyed. “Kanda, if you don’t take care of Tyki for me, I’ll tell Komui that you kissed Lenalee.” This, of course, was a total lie (Kanda sometimes couldn’t even stand the girl), but there was no doubt that Komui would take the comment seriously and make it his personal mission to make Kanda’s life a living hell. Hearing this Kanda seemed to stop for a second and Allen jumped at the opportunity.

“All you have to do is feed him three times a day and get his laundry if he needs new clothes. Oh! And I’ll tell Komui that you will do the job, so that if something happens he will know who to talk to. Bye!” And with that the boy disappeared, leaving Kanda with a blank expression. 

“BAKA MOYASHI! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS WHEN YOU COME BACK!!!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Ok! Here is Chapter 4! I know it is short, but chapters 5 and 6 are REALLY LONG, so they will make up for this chapter and chapter 3. Anyway, Enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet new characters...

Allen sighed as he looked out the window of the train. The grapevines seemed to fly by on the ground as they sped past the countryside. It had been eight hours since the Allen, Lavi, and Lenelaee left the Black Order and headed towards Italy. Allen was still angry with Tyki for being…Tyki, but he still felt bad about shouting at the man and leaving Kanda in charge. Knowing the blue-haired samurai, Tyki would probably only eat three times while he was gone.

“Oi Mathew!” called Lavi, looking out the train door window for the Finder and pulling Allen from his thoughts. “Exactly where are we going again?”

“We are going to a mining site in Italy! There is a possibility Innocence is in the area!” came Mathew’s voice from the other side of the door. “I don’t know all of the details, but we should be meeting up with three other Finders once we arrive.” Lavi sighed and rested his head against the back of the seat.

“Just be patient Lavi.” Said Lenalee, as she placed her hand on Lavi’s leg. “Mathew said we would be arriving shortly.”

“Yeah but he said that hours ago.” complained Lavi, looking out the window.

“Then that means that we will be there very soon”, replied Allen. No sooner had the boy spoken that a train station came into view.

“See?” quipped Lenalee, nudging Lavi. “We are here already!”

“Finally! I thought we’d never get there!”

“Arriving at our next stop!” came a shout from the front of the train. Slowly the train coasted to a peaceful rest at the station. As Allen looked out from the car window, he could see two Finders making their way toward the train.

“This is our stop,” announced Mathew, as he attempted to exit the train car. “Grab your things and get off. Jake and Phillip will be taking us to our destination.” 

“How long until we get to the coal mine?” asked Lenalee after everybody was properly introduced.

“The coal mine we are headed towards is about an hour away on foot, so it should be 30 minutes by carriage.” replied Jake, who took hold of Lenalee’s luggage. “We can grab something to eat first if you would like though.”

“That would be a big help if we could do that first. ” agreed Allen as he scratched his head sheepishly. “I haven’t eaten more than a small sandwich on the train in over 3 hours. I am starving!”

“I bet you are, Allen!” exclaimed Lavi, throwing his arm around Allen’s neck. “So, what kind of food do they have in this town?”

“Pasta, pasta and more pasta!” Replied Jake. “Don’t worry though, they have meat there too.”

“Perfect!” said Allen, sounding happy at the thought of eating. “That sounds like a great plan!”

************************************************************************************

It was about three o’clock in the afternoon by the time the group arrived at their destination. After a short lunch, the group had headed over to the coalmines. As the mine came into view, people began to stop and stare and the new arrivals. The camp was huge! From where the carriage was Allen could see several small shacks built out of metal, probably the housing for the men. The coalmines seemed endless, stretching out as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the camp was a larger building, this one made of wood. By the looks of it, Allen guessed it was where the coal was sorted. Large columns of smoke were rising from the two metal chimneys. Upon their arrival, the mining chief, an English man named Roger Moss, greeted the group.

“Ah! There you are!” boomed the man, striding over to the group. “You must be the new workers to help in the coal mines!” 

In unison Allen and his friends turned to Mathew, silently asking for an explanation. “I am happy that you all made it here safe and sound,” continued Roger, interrupting their thoughts. “I was beginning to worry that my new workers would not come!” The man roared with laughter, the other workers joining in. Roger was a very large, strong man. He must have been about 6’6’’ (198 cm) and was clearly the tallest man around. His face seemed to be worn from years of hard labor in the coalmines, but his eyes glimmered in the otherwise dim light. While his body seemed to be over forty years old, his eyes, ever youthful, seemed to disguise his age well. “Now,” noted Roger, as he gazed intently at the group. “Would you like to tell us your names young ones? I sure am curious as to where you came from!” The group looked at one another, not knowing where to start.

“My name is Allen Walker.” replied Allen suddenly, looking up at the man. “I am sixteen and I am from England.”

“Excellent!” boomed Roger, patting Allen on the back. It was all Allen could do to not fall over from the force of the man’s hands. “Nice to see another Englishman helping out in the coal mines!”

“My name is Lavi.” Said the teen, looking over at Allen and Roger. “I am eighteen years old. I don’t really have a last name, and I kind of come from everywhere!” Lavi muttered sheepishly, scratching his head.

“Nice to meet you Lavi.” Roger then turned his attention to Lenalee. “Now who is this?” asked the man, bending down to look at the girl. “I don’t remember asking for a girl to help us in the mines!”

“Excuse me sir.” replied Lenalee politely. “I did not know you only needed men to help around here.”

“Yes, a girl cannot do a man’s job here. I hope you are a good cook! The men haven't had a nice meal round here in ages!”

“Don’t worry.” Said Lenalee, looking over at the workers. “I can cook some things. My name is Lenalee Lee by the way. I am seventeen years old and come from China.”

“Well, nice to meet you little lady.” Roger then tipped his helmet to her. “Now! I guess we shall have to figure out where to put you for the day.” 

Roger turned to look at Allen and Lavi, smiling. “You two young boys can help the others going through the rubble today, but in the morning I expect you to be digging along with everyone else ok?” 

Allen and Lavi nodded, thankful that Roger was going to give them a day off first. “Now as for you young lady.” continued Roger, walking up to Lenalee. “I guess we will have you work in the soup kitchen. Erma can give you a tour of the kitchen today and tell you how things work in there. But again, I expect you to be up bright and early to help make breakfast for the boys ya hear?”

“I understand.” agreed Lenalee, making a slight bow.

“Good. Now! Everyone, back to work! We still have a good 4 hours of sunlight, and I don’t want to waist another second of it!”

“Yes sir!” shouted the men in unison, and with that, went back to their work.

“Hey Mathew!” shouted Lavi, turning to face the Finder as soon as Roger was out of earshot. “Why didn’t you tell us we were going to help in the mines?”

“I’m very sorry, Exorcist-sama.” Said Mathew, bowing deeply. “But this is the only way we can get a hold of the Innocence.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lenalee, looking over at the blond. “I thought you told us that you have already located the Innocence shard.”

“We have, but the problem is, we can’t find its exact location.” The teens looked on, waiting for an explanation. Mathew sighed as he began. “You see, Jake, Philip and I know that the Innocence is in the coal mines, but it has yet to be unearthed.”

“So what you are saying is, the only way to get the Innocence shard is to dig for it?” Asked Lavi, raising his one eyebrow. 

Mathew nodded. “I am very sorry about this.”

“Don’t be.” Said Allen, taking the rest of the group by surprise. “If this is the only way to find the Innocence, then so be it. Everyone, we should just try our best to recover the shard before the Akuma do. Now while I don’t see any with my eye right now, it does not mean that they will not appear soon.”

“Allen is right,” agreed Lenalee. “We can stay here as long as we need to. Now, I have a meeting with Erma, and you two have to start going though the rubble. Let’s all do our best ok?” Allen and Lavi seemed to pause for a minute before smiling.

“Yeah.” Said Lavi, taking hold of Allen’s arm. “Come on Allen! Lets start moving that dirt!”

************************************************************************************

The day was long and strenuous for the group of friends. After bending down for so long, Allen was starting to believe he might never be able to stand up straight again!

“Lavi! Can you pass me that shovel over there? I need to use it for a moment.”

“Hey! You! Kid with the white hair!” shouted a voice from behind him. Allen turned around to look at the owner of the voice, and seemed to pale. There were two men walking toward them, smiling. The man in front seemed to be in his late twenties, a knitted hat resting upon his head. The man following him also appeared to be about the same age. He had shoulder length brown hair, a noticeable cut over his left eye, stitched closed with thread. Both men were wearing typical work clothes like everyone else, but it was the little boy, dark bags under his eyes and wearing a facemask, trailing after them that gave the men’s’ identities away. Allen recognized them instantly as Tyki’s human friends.

“Hey! I know you!” shouted Lavi “Your Tyk-”

“Lavi!” Interrupted Allen. The redhead turned to look at his friend, and shut up immediately. Allen was giving him the death glare, and Lavi had no desire to die that day.

“I knew it!” said the second man; patting his friend on the shoulder “It’s cheating boy A! The one we met on the train!”

“Damn!” said the first man, pulling out a silver coin. “That was last week’s pay Crack! Now what am I gonna do if I want to go into town?”

“Borrow it back from me!” joked the man named Crack, chest heaving with laughter.

“Momo, you shouldn’t have bet Crack about this.” piped the boy behind them. “You know you shouldn’t bet him.”

“Yeah I know Eaze,” said Momo, kneeling down to Eaze’s height. “I promise I won’t do it again ok?” Eaze seemed to smile, but it was difficult to tell from the mask the boy wore.

“Anyway, Cheating Boy A, what are you doing on this side of town? Come to have another rematch?” Mocked Crack, striding over to the group.

“My name is not Cheating Boy A.” Said Allen, frowning. “My name is Allen Walker, this is my friend Lavi.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you two!” smiled Crack. “My name is Crack, and this is Momo. The kid with us here is Eaze.”

“Hello!” greeted Lavi, sounding cheerful. “Nice to see you guys again. But what are you guys doing here? I thought you worked somewhere in Romania.”

“We did work there for a while.” replied Crack, walking over to Eaze. “But that coal mine over there was a little too rough for this kid here!” He finished, ruffling Eaze’s hair. “Momo, Eaze, and I decided to move out here because the pay is better, the working conditions are better, and Roger is actually a good friend of mine! Tyki will be joining us here in a while, he is our other fiend by the way, but he had some business to take care of elsewhere first.”

“I hope Tyki comes back soon.” Said Eaze as he stole a glance at Momo. Momo just smiled down at the boy.

“Don’t worry, he knows where we are, and he promised to come back as soon as he can. Right Crack?”

“Yep!” answered the man. “Tyki will be here before you know it.” Hearing this made Allen feel so guilty he wasn’t sure if he could take it. Both Allen and his friends knew that Tyki would never be coming back, or at least in the same way that his friends would recognize him.

“Well, it was nice to run into you two!” Said Crack, stretching and yawning. “Let’s go, Eaze, Momo. We still have another to work, so lets go.”

“Yeah.” Replied Momo as he walked over to his friend. “Yo we’ll see you guys later ok?”

“Alright!” yelled Lavi, waving at them. “See ya later! Come on Allen, we have to get back to work too.”

“Wait a minute!” piped a voice, taking the two friends by surprise.

“Eaze!” said Lavi as he turned over at the boy. “I didn’t realize that you were still here.” Eaze however paid no attention to the read-head, instead looking at Allen with a strange face. “What was your name again?”

“Allen.” answered the teen, looking down at the boy. “Allen Walker.”

“Allen Walker.” muttered Eaze. “Where have I read that name before?” Eaze dug his hand into his pocket. “Now I remember!” He held up a silver button for Allen to inspect. “Did this belong to you?”

Allen could not believe his eyes. So this is what Tyki had done with his button. He gave it to this kid! 

“Where did you get this?”

“Tyki gave it to me a while ago.” Replied Eaze. “He always gives me things when he comes back from his secret job. I have other buttons like this one.” Eaze dug into his pocket again and brought out more buttons. “This one is my favorite.” The child announced, as he held up a golden button. “It’s the only one of its kind.” Allen picked up the button and read the name written behind it. Written in nice, neat letters was the name Kevin Yeager.

“Let me see those.” demanded Allen, feeling a little queasy. Eaze handed him the rest of the buttons. Allen carefully read the backs of each one. Daisya Barry, Suman Dark. All of these names were of dead Exorcists. Allen felt sick as he realized that Tyki gave all of the buttons of the people he killed to Eaze. “Nice collection.” forced Allen, tasting bile in his mouth.

“I think that button with your name on it belonged to you.” said Eaze, pointing to the one on the table. “But if you will let me, I would like to keep it. It is all I have of Tyki right now.”

“Sure.” muttered Allen, looking away. “I don’t mind.”

“Really?” said Eaze, his eyes bright. “Thank you!” He cried, giving Allen a big hug. Allen stood shocked for a moment, looking at the small figure around him.

“Your welcome. Now you had better go back to your friends now ok? They will begin to wonder were you are.”

“Ok!” replied the boy, releasing Allen and grinning. “I’ll see you later Allen!”

“See ya later Eaze!” said Lavi, watching the kid run back to his friends. 

“He seems like a good kid. Too bad he chose Tyki as his friend eh Allen?” commented the redhead, nudging Allen in the rips. 

Allen was quiet and just stared at Tyki’s friends. They seemed to be so happy.

Suddenly, a loud bell rang throughout the camp. “DINNER TIME!!!” Someone shouted, which was followed by a loud cheer and a rush of men to the other side of the coalmine.

“All right!” shouted Lavi, punching his fist in the air. “Time for some food!” As the two made their way over they spotted Lenalee handing out soup bowl to the men, who waited anxiously for their meal. As she spotted them she waved, but they were interrupted by Roger’s loud voice.

“New comers, come over here!” Roger shouted, motioning to the two teens. Allen and Lavi just looked at each other before walking over to the big man. “Now, since this is your first day here you need a place to sleep.” Roger turned to the men in line. “Men!” he shouted. “These two fine young lads need a place to sleep. Anyone want to share their shack with them?” The mine was quiet for a few moments.

“We will!” came a man’s voice. Allen and Lavi turned to see Crack raising his hand and smiling at the two. “We can take them!”

“Excellent!” said Roger, clapping his hands together. “Allen, Lavi, you will be bunking with Crack and his friends for the time being. Your lady friend will be sleeping in the kitchen along with the other women. Alright?”

“Fine by me.” Said Lavi, putting his hands behind his head. “I don’t mind. What about you Allen?”

Allen seemed to pause for a moment before smiling. “Sure. Why not?”

“Then it’s settled.” concluded Roger, looking down at the boys. “Sleep well tonight lads, for in the morning, there will be a whole new day’s work of coal to mine! Be sure to wake up bright and early, or you’ll miss breakfast!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok, so here is chapter 5! As I promised, this one is WAY longer than chapters 3 and 4. Read and review please!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day at the mining camp

The sun hadn’t even risen in the sky the next morning before the sound of a loud bell penetrated the sleepy silence that had covered the coalmine.

“RING!!!!!!! RING!!!!! RING!!!!!” Called the bell over and over again, determined to wake every last soul up in the camp.

“What is that!?!?” shouted Lavi above the noise, covering his ears with his hands.

“That is the wake-up bell!” Hollered Crack. “We are still getting used to it as well!” 

Soon, the bell’s ringing came to an abrupt halt, as a chorus of moans and yawns rose from the now not-so-peaceful-camp.

“TIME TO GET UP!” Came Roger’s loud voice over a speaker “GET OUT OF BED, YOU LAZY SWINES!!!!!! THE DAY IS SHORT, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF COAL TO MINE THIS MORNING!!!”

“Agh! Fine! Fine! I’m awake!” moaned Allen, covering his own ears with a pillow. “Just give me five more minutes! I was in the middle of a good dream!” Crack just laughed at the boy’s complaints before pulling the blankets from Allen’s body. “Hey!” shouted Allen as he sprang from his bed, finally starting to wake up. “Give those back Crack!”

“Nope! Now that you are living in the coal mine you need to contribute to the camp just like everyone else! Get ready or I’ll hide these down in the mine!” 

Allen knew it was pointless to argue and gave up the chase with a sigh. 

“Besides, if we don’t hurry, we will miss breakfast! Look! The line is already getting long!” Crack was right. The camp, while it looked small from afar, actually was the home to a lot of men. From where Allen was standing, he could count at least 50 men walking towards the line that was already 70 people long.

“Wow!” commented Lavi, letting out a low whistle. “How many people ARE there here exactly?”

Momo glanced at the two teens. “I think there are about 700 of us here, women included.” 

“700!” replied Allen, eyes widening. “How do all of you guys get fed?”

“There are about 250 women who get up real early, even earlier than us, who make the food here.” answered the man as he ran his hands through his hair. “Looks like your girlfriend had a painful morning.”

“Yo you guys!” came a voice from across the camp. All four people turned to see Crack waving his hands from the line. “Come quick! They made bacon this morning, and it’s running out fast!” That did it. Before anyone could blink, all four of them were running over to join Crack.

“Single file!” came Lenalee’s voice from over all the morning talk. “Single file everyone! You know the drill, take a tray and get in line!”

“Good morning Lenalee!” called Lavi from the back of the line. “How was your night?” Lenalee just looked over at the boys and sighed. “You know Lavi, you are just lucky I am too tired to come over there right now!” Allen felt a pang of sympathy for Lenalee as he grabbed a tray. The girl looked like she was going to fall asleep standing. He wondered what time she had actually got up. Judging by how many mouths there were to feed, it must have been early.

“Wait, only one serving?” cried Allen, looking at his plate. The woman behind the counter had only given him two eggs, a piece of toast, one thing of butter, and two strips of bacon.

“Sorry kid.” Said the woman. “We only made enough for one serving each.”

“Isn’t there _some_ way to get more?” The woman shook her head. Allen nodded once before bowing and getting out of line with his food.

“Seems like you’re gonna be going on a diet here Allen!” laughed Lavi, nudging his friend in the ribs. Allen just sighed.

“I don’t need to go on a diet. I’m going to miss Jerry’s cooking.”

“Jerry’s gonna really surprised when you come back thin as a twig!”

“What I would do for a cup of your coffee Eaze.” Said Momo, yawning as he sat down.

“Maybe you can buy some with _my_ money that you stole from me!” replied Crack, sitting down next to his friend.

“I can make you some if you get me some coffee beans.” offered Eaze as he caught up with them. Crack and Momo scooted out of the way to make room for their friend.

“That would be great.”

“You guys obviously never had Lenalee’s coffee.” Commented Lavi, digging into his meal. “She makes the best coffee around!”

“Oh I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Crack looked over at the teen. “Little Eaze here can make one mean batch of coffee too!” he said, patting Eaze on the head.

“Maybe you two can have a contest some time,” replied Allen, smiling at the boy. “I bet Lenalee would like that.” Suddenly, their meal was interrupted by another loud bell.

“What? Time to work already?” Said Lavi in disbelief. “I just sat down!”

“When you work in a coal mine, you have to learn to eat quick,” laughed Momo, taking up everyone’s dirty dishes.

“Were not even done yet, right Allen?” wondered Lavi, turning to his friend.

“What are you taking about Lavi?” said Allen, handing Momo his dish.

“What? How did you finish so quickly?” Allen just stared at him, waiting for Lavi to realize just what he was asking.

“Ah! There you two are!” came a voice from behind them. Allen and Lavi turned to see Roger standing above them. “Today is your first day of work! Aren't you excited?” The man laughed at the boy’s blank expressions. “Hey Crack, would you mind explaining to these young boys how this place works?” Crack smiled as he stood up.

“It would be my pleasure sir!” 

Roger just laughed once more as he patted the man on the back. “That’s my old friend!” 

“Well, be best be getting off you two.” Said Crack, standing up with Eaze. “Just do what we do and you’ll be fine!”

************************************************************************************  
It was several hours before the day was finished. Allen and Lavi felt as if they couldn’t take another step! They were so _tired!_ Almost every joint in their body was sore and it was so painful to move! 

“I don't even WANT to know how bad I’m gonna feel tomorrow.” moaned Lavi, wincing as he got up from the bench.

“Don’t worry about that,” answered Crack as he landed a hard slap on Allen’s shoulder. Allen resisted the urge to cry out. “All new-bees have a hard time the first week or so, but you’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. I wish I was working in the kitchen with Lenalee! At least she doesn’t have to move rocks all day!”

“The women at this camp don’t have it easy either.” Commented Momo, taking a sip from his drink. “Remember how many people there are to feed? She has to keep getting up that early for the rest of the time you guys are here!”

“True.” Just then they saw Eaze get out of the dinner line and walk over to them, a small package sitting next to his food.

“Look guys!” Said Eaze, sitting down at the table. “Look at what Erma gave me!” Everybody seemed to lean in as Eaze unwrapped the bundle of cloth. Inside was a small piece of chocolate, barely the size of Allen’s thumb, but Eaze was smiling down proudly at it. “Erma said she found this while going through some supplies. She doesn’t know how good it is, but she doesn’t think that chocolate goes bad, so she gave it to me!”

“She must have known what day it was today,” muttered Momo. Allen looked over at the two men and saw them glance at one another, before getting up from the table.

“Eaze, say here for a minute please. Momo and I have to go get something.” Crack dusted off his clothes. Still smiling, Eaze nodded.

Allen and Lavi watched as the two men disappeared into their living quarters. A few moments later, they emerged, Crack carrying a medium-sized box in his hands.

“Happy Birthday Eaze!” Both men cried in unison, sitting down next to the boy. Allen blinked in surprise as they handed Eaze his present. He didn’t know it was the boy’s birthday! Everyone seemed to hold their breath as Eaze unwrapped the box. As the boy peered inside his face seemed to light up.

“A top!” Cried the boy, holding up the object for everyone to see. Eaze was right, it was a wooden top about the size of his helmet, complete with rope and launcher. Allen and Lavi turned to face the two men.

“We got it on our day off, a few days before you came.” added Crack, answering the unspoken question. “Eaze still had to work that day, but we didn’t and ran over to town and used the money we had saved to get this for him.”

“Well, do you like it Eaze?” asked Momo, ruffling his hand through the boy’s hair. Eaze nodded vigorously.

“I love it!” he cried, throwing his small arms around his friends. “Thank you!” Allen smiled as the three friends embraced one another. Suddenly, the night bell sounded, signaling that it was time for everyone to go to sleep. As Allen crawled into bed, he could not resist one last glance at the three friends. _They really are like a family._

************************************************************************************

It had been three days now since the trio of friends had arrived at the mining camp. It seemed like longest days of Allen and Lavi’s lives. Every morning they would get up before sunrise, then work for seven straight hours mining in the coalmine before they took a break for lunch. And then afterwards they would mine another six hours until it was time for dinner. Allen was starting to get very tired. Not having enough food can do things to a person, especially to a certain white-haired teen. The trio had, however, gotten to be good friends with Crack and the gang. Allen could see why Tyki had chosen them to be his friends. They were a good group of people.

“Yo Lavi,” called Momo, looking over down the mine. “Have you seen Eaze lately? He was supposed to be coming back with the coal down the mine a while ago.”

“Nope.” Came Lavi’s reply. “Haven’t seen him all day.”

“What about you Allen?” Asked Crack, picking up a shovel. “Seen him lately?”

“No, but I can go and check to see what’s up!” Answered Allen, pitting his mining stuff down and taking off his gloves. “I’ll be back in a few minutes ok?”  
 _Now where could that kid have run off to?_ Wondered Allen, walking past the inhabited part of the mine. _I hope he didn’t get lost. This place is huge!_ “Eaze?” Called Allen, kicking away some stray rocks. “Eaze? Eaze you back here?”

“I’m over here Allen!” came Eaze’s voice from the mine.

“Where?” wondered Allen, turning on his headlight. “I don't see you!”

“Make two rights and a left and you’ll see me!” came Eaze’s voice again. Allen did as he was told, and sure enough, there was Eaze, pulling behind him a large sack of coal. “Sorry I’m late!” said the boy, looking over at Allen. “This thing is really heavy!”

Allen walked over to the boy. “Here. Let me get that for you.”

“No wait don’t!” Allen stopped and looked. Suddenly, the roof of the cavern caved in, showering the two with heavy rock.

“Eaze!” shouted Allen, pulling himself to his feet. “Eaze! Are you alright? Eaze!”

“I’m fine!” came Eaze’s voice from under the rubble. “I’m just stuck!”

“Hold on Eaze, I’ll get you out!” said Allen, activating his Innocence. Transforming his hand, Allen brought his claw down, making a small opening in the rubble. “Eaze? Eaze! Do you think you can climb through here?”

“Yeah.” Replied the boy. “But hold on, I wanna check something out.”

“What?”

“I said I want to check something out. There is something in here that doesn’t look like a normal rock.” Allen blinked.

“Why don’t you bring it out here?”

“Sure!” A few minutes later, Eaze emerged from the rubble. He was covered from head to toe in soot, but otherwise, the boy looked unharmed. In his left hand he was holding something very interesting indeed.

“Eaze.” said Allen, his heart racing. “Hand me that.” Now it was Eaze’s turn to blink.

“Why? Do you know what it is?”

“I might. Just let me take a look.” The child obediently opened his hand to reveal what he had found, watching the teen. Allen’s heartbeat sped up as he realized what it was. _Innocence! We have found the Innocence piece!_

“So, do you know what it is Allen?” asked Eaze, looking up at the boy. But Allen never got to finish his sentence, for at that moment, the earth started to rumble.

“Quick!” shouted Allen, grabbing hold of the child’s other arm. “We have to get out of here! There might be another cave in!”

“No.” said Eaze, being pulled along. “I’ve been in cave-ins before! This feels different.” _Different?_ Allen’s heart sped up as he realized that they were the only ones in the cave. _Where did everyone go?_ Allen’s heartbeat sped up even more as he activated his eye, looking down below him. _Akuma!_

“Lavi!” Shouted Allen, finally emerging from the cave and spotting his friend. “Lavi! There’s Akuma! Get everyone out of here!” Lavi immediately stopped what he was doing, running over to the two boys. But he never made it, for all of a sudden, the floor of the cave erupted in a new shower of coal.

“At last.” Came a raspy voice. Allen’s heart seemed to freeze. “At last!” Allen could only look up in horror as a large Akuma’s head appeared from within the ground. ”AT LAST WE HAVE FOUND THE INNOCENCE!!!!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, I leave you with a cliff hanger! And I will continue to do so for the next 3 weeks! yay! *dances* So as I promised, Chapter 6 was long too! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Read and review please!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!!! THIS CHAPTER HAS A SOME VOILENCE AND GORE (but only a tiny bit) IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ, PLEASE TELL ME AND I’LL UPDATE YOU ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER!!!!

“EAZE GET OUT OF HERE!” Screamed Allen, activating his arm. Eaze seemed to be frozen, his eyes wide with fear. A giant monster appeared in front of them. His head resembled some kind of drill. Its eyes shone blood red and stared straight at him. The creature’s arms were giant claws, blackened from all of the digging it had done. The thing also had long sharp teeth, grinning down at him. His tail was shaped like a pick-ax.

“Eaze!” shouted Allen’s voice again, pulling the boy back to reality. “Eaze, RUN!” Eaze just stood there for a moment, before taking off like a bullet across the camp, Innocence shard in hand.

“Don’t let him escape!” cried the Akuma as several other machines popped up from the ground. “That boy has the Innocence!” Now the camp was beginning to take notice of the Akuma attack, and things were starting to get hectic.

“No!” shouted Allen, activating his innocence further, pulling out his sword. “You shall not harm him!” And with that, Allen charged that the beast. “Crown Clown!” yelled the teen, bringing his sword down on the massive creature. The Akuma just laughed as he blocked the sword with one claw.

“Little hammer, big hammer, grow, grow, grow!” shouted Lavi, activating his innocence.

“Lavi!” cried Allen, but it was too late. With a yell, the red head brought the hammer down on the machine, making it fall back down into the hole into which it came.

“Whoops!” said Lavi, his hammer returning to a normal size. “He got away.”

“I was going to tell you not to do that.” Said Allen, looking at his friend. Lavi just smiled as scratched his head.

“Sorry. Anyway, lets go, I have a very bad feeling about this.” 

When the two teens finally exited the mine, they were in for a shock. Almost all of the buildings were now demolished or destroyed; a fire was now breaking out in the kitchen. As Allen looked at the scene, he saw Mathew and the other Finders moving the workers into one of the mines. Lenalee could be seen guarding the entrance of the mine from other Akuma. Most of the workers however, were not so lucky. From where Allen was standing he could see at least 70 dead bodies lying on the ground, blood pouring from wounds they had received. Allen’s heart came to a stop when he saw the face of Roger Moss among the dead. His eyes were still wide with fear, a noticeable gash slashing across the man’s throat. 

“No!” shouted Allen, finally shaking himself from his trace. “Don’t hurt anymore people!” With that, Allen tore across the camp and landed on an Akuma’s back. “Crown Clown!” shouted the teen, bringing the sword down on the creatures’ head. The Akuma didn’t even know what hit him. As Allen looked down, he could see the empty shell of a man underneath the machine.

“Allen!” came Lavi’s voice from across the camp. “Don’t let the Akuma near anyone else! They aren’t killing them in the normal sense! They aren’t shooting them with bullets! They are _massacring_ them Allen!”

Allen’s eyes widened as he realized Lavi’s words were true. As he looked over the scene again, Allen could not find one mound of dust covered by clothes, signifying a human being hit with a bullet. Suddenly, a swarm of Akuma appeared in front of him, intent on killing him too. Allen’s heart sped up as he saw Crack run across the camp towards the mine, something glowing in his hand. _Innocence?_ Thought Allen, lashing out at an Akuma. _But why does Crack have it? I though Eaze-_

“Crack look out!” shouted Momo’s voice from the entrance of the cave. As Crack turned to look behind him, a large claw swept him off his feet, causing the man to trip and fall to the ground, the Innocence shard falling free if his grip.

“Crack!” shouted Allen, cutting through another Akuma in his way.

“Get the Innocence Allen!” shouted Lavi, fighting off a pair of Akuma. Suddenly, Allen saw a small figure dart out from behind a building and snatch the Innocence from the ground.

“Eaze!” Screeched Allen, finally finishing off the last of the Akuma. “Eaze! Give me that! You have to get out of here!” But Eaze didn’t listen. Instead, he took off towards the entrance of another, older mine. This mine had been abandoned weeks ago; Roger had known that it was too unstable. And yet now the boy was running towards it, realizing that the glowing rock was what the monsters were after.

“After him!” shouted an Akuma. Allen realized that this was the same one that Lavi had hammered into the ground.

“Lavi!” cried Allen, looking over to his friend. “Come with me! Eaze has the Innocence!”

“What!” yelled the redhead, running over to his friend, “Why does Eaze have it?”

“There is no time to explain! Just come on!” Allen ran into the cave with the two teens close behind.

“Why did Eaze have to run in here?” huffed Lavi, making a sharp turn. “This place is like a maze!”

“That’s probably why he picked it!” Allen shouted back at his friend. “He might be able to loose that Akuma this way.” 

“Yeah, and we might get lost too!”

“Just-!” Suddenly, they heard a loud scream.

“Eaze!” they both called out in unison. As they rounded the corner, the teens were horrified to see the boy on the ground, a large cut apparent on his arm, his hand still clutched around the Innocence shard. Above him, the Akuma from earlier was grinning.

“Now little brat, I gave you a choice. I warned you that you would get hurt if you didn’t give me what was in your hand!”

“Get away from him!” shouted Allen, raising up his sword. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” came another Akuma’s voice. Allen looked up to see a spider-shaped Akuma crawling on the ceiling, a thick strand of slime connecting to Allen’s sword, preventing him from bringing it down. Lavi also seemed to be caught up in the sticky stuff, trying in vain to get free.

“I’ll ask you one more time brat.” sneered the first Akuma. “Give me the Innocence shard, or die!” Eaze was glued to the spot, clutching his arm and shaking like a little leaf. What should he do? He didn’t want to get hurt, but he knew that if he gave the monster what he wanted, something very bad would happen. Eaze kept his mouth closed, his eyes filled with terror.

“You won’t answer? Fine!” Shouted the Akuma, raising his claw. “Then DIE!”

“EAZE!!!!!”

Suddenly the cave was filled with red blood squirting from a wound. But it wasn’t Eaze’s blood that had been spilt. Allen’s eyes widened in horror at what he saw before him.

“CRACK!!!!!! MOMO!!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!”

“Run Eaze,” rasped Momo, a deep wound visible in his chest. Eaze just stood there, a look of pure terror crossing his bloodied face.

“Get out of here.” ordered Crack, coughing up some blood. “Now!” With that, both men fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming beneath them. 

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Screamed Allen, as he ripped free of the other Akuma’s grip. Turning his arm back to a claw, Allen shouted. “Crown Edge!” The claw cut through the Akuma’s body like butter, the machine screeching a high-pitched yell before falling to the ground.

“EDGE END!” Cried the teen, swiping his claw down upon the remaining Akuma.

“DAMN YOU EXORCIST!!!!!!” The Level 2 screamed, as it finally fell, making one last attempt at hitting Allen. Finally, everything was over. Allen deactivated his arm, running towards his fallen friends.

“Crack! Momo! Speak to me!” yelled Allen, crashing down onto the bloodstained earth. Neither men stirred at the sound of Allen’s voice.

“LAVI!” Shouted Allen, looking for the teen.

“I’m here!” called his friend, finally freeing himself of the sticky thread.

“Get Eaze out of here and get a stretcher. Crack and Momo might still be alive.”

“On it!” shouted Lavi. “Come on Eaze!” He said, grabbing hold of the frozen boy. Eaze didn’t even put up a fight as Lavi hauled him from the cave.

“Crack, Momo, just hold on ok? Help is-” Allen never finished his sentence, falling to the ground, unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 7! I know that some of you have told me that I might be loosing the main plot of the story. Right now, I won’t deny that it looks that way. But trust me when I saw, everything in this story happens for a reason. This will ultimately feed into something bigger that will bring Allen and Tyki closer. For two characters who totally hate each other in reality to finally start to like one another, they have to go through some experiences that change them. This is one of those experiences. It may seem that this experience is only for Allen, but it will involve Tyki later. There will be other times where they go through their problems and dilemmas together in the story as well. There will be several times in this story, where it seems I am just throwing in random stuff without a thought, but that is not the case. There is a reason for my madness!!!!! Anyway, hope you all enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tragedy...

A few hours later, Allen found himself in the infirmary of the coalmine. Apparently, the Spider-like Akuma had not been completely dead and thus had managed to land one last blow to Allen’s head. Crack and Momo however suffered horrible wounds and every attempt was undertaken to save them. It was a miracle that they were still alive. Eaze was on the bed next to Allen, his arm bandaged and hanging in a sling. 

“Mr. Walker?” came a voice from across the room. Allen turned to see a doctor walking over to him, a grave expression on his face. “Mr. Walker, I have something I need to discuss with you.”

“What is it?” Asked Allen as he got up from his bed. Allen had a large cut on the back of his head where the Akuma’s arm had hit him, bit otherwise he was ok.

“I wish to talk to you in private. If you could be so kind as to come with me…” They both walked in total silence until they came across a room with a sign that read _Intensive Care_. The doctor moved to open the door, but abruptly stopped.

“Mr. Walker, I am afraid that your friends are not going to make it through the night.” Allen’s heart stopped at the words. “Mr. Crack and Mr. Momo’s wounds are too severe. They need too many things that we don’t have here.”

“But, why can’t we just transport them to a bigger hospital?” begged Allen, his heart bursting with fear. “The larger hospitals have more doctors on staff.”

“While that may be true Mr. Walker, I am afraid the nearest hospital is over 100 km away from here. Transporting these two in the conditions that they are in would be impossible. You are lucky I happened to be in the next town. I am truly sorry, but there is nothing more I can do.”

“But, but what about Eaze? The younger boy in the room with me. He was their friend too. What is he going to do? He has no family except Crack and Momo. Where is he going to go?” 

“That.” Said the doctor, opening the door. “Is what we need to discuss with you.” The room that they entered was not very large, sporting only three beds and two nightstands. On the far side of the room was an open window, and through it Allen could see the sun beginning to dip down in the sky. “I will leave you here to discuss things with your friends.” The doctor then turned away and slowly walked out of the building.

“Hi Allen.” Came a horse voice from one of the beds in the room. “Long time no see eh?”

“Crack!” Allen said, unable to believe his eyes. “You’re awake?”

“We’re awake.” Came Momo’s voice from the other bed. “We need to talk to you about something important. It’s about Eaze.” Allen’s heart froze again as he turned to look at the two men.

“So you know?” whispered Allen, covering his mouth with his hand. Crack and Momo sighed and nodded, a solemn expression on their faces.

“Yes we know. The doc told us an hour ago. Do you know if Roger is ok?” questioned Momo, turning his head to look at the teen. Allen’s silence was enough of an answer. “Oh.” muttered Momo, a painful expression crossing his face.

“He was such a good man.” sighed Crack sadly, craning his neck to look up at the ceiling. “I guess that decides it for us.” 

“Decides what?”

Crack, turned his head to look at Allen as well. “Allen, we want Eaze to go back with you, wherever you came from.”

“Me? You want me to take Eaze?”

“We saw you fighting those monsters with a sword Allen.” Said Momo, suddenly coughing. “We know that you are strong, and will be able to take care of Eaze.”

“But, I don’t know if I-”

“Please Allen!” begged Crack, trying to get up. “Please! Please take Eaze with you! You and your friend are the only people he knows. Everyone else here pretty much keeps to themselves, so he has no one.”

“Crack! Don’t get up!” cried Allen as he rushed over to his friend’s side. “Your wounds! Your wounds will op-.” Suddenly Allen felt a warm liquid spill on to his hand. Allen’s eye’s widened in horror as he saw the man’s bandages were stained dark red. “Crack please! Please don’t move!”

“No!” Wheezed Momo, attempting to get up too. “No! We won’t stop until we know that you will take care of him! Please Allen! He is all that is left of our family!”

“Alright! Alright! I will take care of him! Just please don’t move anymore you two!” The men both seemed to sigh in relief at Allen’s answer, before settling back down on their cots, all their strength suddenly gone.

“Bring Eaze in here.” Said Crack, closing his eyes. “He needs to know about our decision.” Allen was trying really hard to stay strong, but his mask was slipping.

“I’ll go get him.”

A few minutes later, the boy was in the room with Allen, running over to his friends.

“Crack! Momo! Please! Please get better!” cried the boy, clutching onto Crack and Momo’s hands. “Please!’

“I’m sorry Eaze.” Coughed Crack, pulling his hand free to ruffle Eaze’s hair slowly. “But I don’t think Momo and I are going to be coming out of this one.”

“No!” shouted Eaze, gripping on tighter to the both of them. “No! That can’t be true! You guys always come out of these things! Come on! You can get out of this one too!” Momo just shook his head, pulling the boy close. “Please,” begged the boy, tears beginning to spill from his eyes. “Don’t leave me here all alone.” Pain seemed to cross the man’s face as he pulled Eaze into a tight embrace.

“Allen, Allen can you come over here?” 

Silently Allen walked over to the dying family, tears beginning to weld up in his eyes as well. Allen’s heart was heavy, as if a chain had wrapped itself around his chest. 

Momo moved to hold out his hand to the teen. “Eaze, Eaze you’re not going to be alone ok? You’re going go with Allen ok? Allen is going to take care of you.”

“No!” shouted the boy again, shifting away from the white-haired teen. “No! I want you guys to take care of me! I want our family back!” The boy was now sobbing, his little chest heaving up and down. “I want you, Crack, and Tyki! I want all of you to take care of me!” A pained expression crossed Allen’s face at the mention of Tyki’s name.

“Eaze.” Said Crack, his voice still weak, but now sounding a bit stern. “Momo and I aren’t going to be around much longer, and Tyki is not here. Please! Go with Allen, for the both of us. If you go with him, then you might one day find Tyki too. We want you to go with Allen and find Tyki, and tell him what has happened here. Can you do that for me?”

Eaze just sobbed harder, pushing his body closer to Crack’s. “Eaze…? Can you do that for me?” asked the man once more. The boy was still crying, but Eaze managed to make a small nod. “That’s our Eaze.” Praised Crack, pulling the boy into another hug. Suddenly, Crack broke out into a violent cough, his whole body shaking. When he pulled his hand away, a mouthful of blood was visible on his face.

“Crack!” shouted Momo, jerking towards his friend, before he too felt the gush of fresh blood over his wounds. Momo gasped in pain, falling onto the cot and clutching his stomach. Allen could see a thin line of blood trickle down the man’s chin.

“I’m sorry… Eaze.” Wheezed Crack, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “But…it’s time… for us to go.” Reaching over he took hold of Momo’s hand, looking into his friends’ eyes. Eaze just grabbed his friends’ hands and hugged them close. “Allen… take good care of this kid… for us will ya?” Allen was now almost at the same level as Eaze was, tears now flowing freely down his face and nodded. Suddenly Crack’s body shuttered violently, before becoming still, his eye’s still gazing over at Eaze. Momo’s eyes were now shedding tears as well as he looked over at his deceased friend.

“We love you…Eaze.” Whispered the man, pulling the child into a tight hug. “Never…forget that…ok?” Eaze just sobbed harder into the man’s shoulder, the red stain now growing to consume Momo’s bandages as well. Momo let go of the child and looked into his face. “Never...forget.” Eaze just nodded again, his tears never stopping. Momo laid back down and closed his eyes for the last time, a small smile lingering on his lips. The room was silent for a few moments.

“Crack?” asked Eaze, shaking the man’s arm. “Momo? Wake up.” There was no reply. “Come on now.” Said Eaze, his voice starting to crack. “This isn’t funny. Crack, Momo wake up!” 

“Eaze.” Whispered Allen, as he reached up to wipe his own face. “Eaze, they are not going to wake up.”

Eaze’s eyes were wide open, a true look of fear and terror crossing his face. “No. No no no no NO!!!” Eaze was frantic, hysteric. The boy was losing it. Allen could see the boy slipping farther and farther away form him.

“Crack! Momo! Get up! Please get up! No no no WAKE UP!!!!!” His friends couldn’t be dead. They couldn’t. They were Crack and Momo, the strongest people in the world. The people he loved most, the ones he cared for most. They couldn’t be dead. They _couldn’t_!

“Eaze!” Allen finally shouted. Eaze stopped and turned his head towards Allen. “I’m sorry, but Crack and Momo are gone!”

Hearing those words was the final straw. Finally the boy lost it, grabbing on to Crack and Momo’s hands again and letting out a blood-curdling cry. Suddenly Allen couldn’t take it anymore. In a flash Allen was at the Eaze’s side, crushing the boy in a tight hug. Felling Allen’s hug, Eaze let out another cry, clutching Allen’s shirt. As the cried into Allen’s shoulder, Allen began to see something…strange. The bodies…were moving! _No, it can’t be!_ As the teen activated his eye, Allen was astonished to see the souls of Crack and Momo leaving their bodies. The souls were as white as the snow, and as pure as the sky. Allen stared in awe as he saw the souls rise from their now deceased bodies, looking around with a confused expression on their faces. As they looked over at Allen, the realization of what had happened hit them. As they made their way towards Eaze, Allen realized his hold on the boy. Wordlessly, the two souls bent down to give Eaze one last hug, before disappearing into the air, a sad smile resting on both of their faces.

“Allen.” Came Crack and Momo’s voices over the air. Allen’s head looked up at the sound, unable to believe his ears. “ _Thank you, for agreeing to take care of our family. We will be watching over him, Allen.”_

_“Always watching.”_

***********************************************************************************

Overall, 387 people had died in the Akuma attack. A few had been hit with Akuma bullets at the beginning, but as Level 2’s began to appear there were casualties. Roger’s throat had been cut by the sharp tail of an Akuma, resulting in a swift death. That could not be said for all of the men and women. Allen had never witnessed such a massacre as this. Most Akuma had tortured their victims before killing them, making their death a long and painful one.

A few days after the attack the surviving miners held a burial for all of their fallen comrades. The new leader had debated making a mass grave, but in the end figured it would be too disrespectful to the men. So, the third morning after the attack, the men went to work once again, but this time for a different reason. By the sixth day, 387 graves had been dug and headed properly. Crack and Momo were laid to rest next to Roger, along with a few other men. A priest had come out to their town to go through the rituals before everyone stool vigil for the night. Sobs and cries pierced the still, dark night air. As the sun began to rise, people began to clean up, placing flowers on graves before going to write to the families of the deceased about the tragedy.

“Allen.” Came a small voice from behind him. As Allen turned, he saw Eaze walking over to him, his hands in his pockets.

“Hi Eaze.” Said Allen, embracing the young boy. “What are you doing over here? I thought you had left with the rest of the men.” Eaze just shook his head.

“I don’t want to go, not just yet.” Eaze put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small glowing object. Allen immediately recognized it as the Innocence shard.

“You still have this?” asked Allen, taking the Innocence into his hand. The shard was still encased in its rock shell, but its glow was clearly visible. Eaze nodded.

“I know that this is what that thing was after; that’s why I took off with it. I should have just given it to you at the beginning, maybe then all of this would not have happened.” Allen was expecting Eaze to burst into tears again, but was surprised to find the boy surprisingly calm. It seemed that Eaze was still in shock. The full realization of what had happened had not hit him yet. Allen just hugged the boy closer.

“What happened was not your fault Eaze. I should have been quicker and stopped the Akuma.” Eaze just gave Allen a blank stare. “Akuma. That is the name of those monsters. They are machines created by the Millennium Earl, an evil man who wants to destroy this world. My friends and I have the power to fight these things, and it is our duty to protect you people. This rock you handed me also has this power, but it can’t be used until it chooses an accommodator. This power is called Innocence, and is what I have implanted in my arm and lets me fight. It’s my fault that I couldn’t protect you all.” explained Allen quietly, a tear spilling from his eye.

“I don’t understand.”

“You will Eaze. You will. The place we are going deals with this everyday. Lavi, Lenalee and I are part of the Black Order, and we fight these creatures to save their souls. You will learn about all of this when you join us.”

“Wait,” said Eaze, looking up at Allen. “You aren’t going to take me with you?” 

Allen shook his head, as he fought to contain the overwhelming sadness and grief. “No. As much as I want to Eaze, I can’t take you back right away. My friends and I have to get back to the Black Order first; you and the Finders Jake and Philip, will be coming a few days later. We have to tell them that you are coming. But don’t worry; we will only be separated for a few days. I promise.” 

Eaze just nodded, unable to comprehend anything at the time. Yet he trusted the teen. 

“Come on.” Allen took the child’s hand in his own. “We have to go. Everyone is going to be wondering where we are.” Silently, the two walked back down the hillside, leaving Crack and Momo’s graves far behind them, flowers resting on the small mounds of earth.

************************************************************************************  
“Allen?” Called Lenalee’s voice through the crowd. It was now late in the day, and the sun was almost beginning to set once more. Cleaning up the camp had been hard. Many of the buildings had been destroyed in the fire, leaving little food and shelter. “Allen? Where are you?” Suddenly, she spotted the teen, running his hand under a water faucet.

“Allen?” Allen whipped his head around at the call, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Yes Lenalee?”

“I was just coming over to tell you it’s almost time to leave. Mathew says if we don’t leave in a few minutes, we’ll miss our train.”

“Alright. I’ll be over there in a few minutes.” Lenalee nodded and headed back over to Lavi and Mathew. As soon as Lenalee was out of sight, Allen removed his hand from his pocket, looking at the object in his palm. It was the Innocence shard, now free of its rock prison, but there was something…wrong with it. Allen ran it under the faucet again, but the shard stayed the same. _What is wrong with this piece?_ Thought Allen, holding it up to his eye once more. The thing definitely _was_ an Innocence piece, but instead of being a light green, the shard was dyed a dark black.

************************************************************************************

Eight hours later, the group was back at Headquarters; the Innocence piece tucked safely inside Allen’s coat. Allen had not even bothered to go to Helvaska. He knew that this was no ordinary piece of Innocence, and thought it best to take it to the Science Department first, to see what was different about it.

“Hey Reever!” called Allen, “Could you check this out?” 

“Hi Allen.” said Reever, jogging over to meet him. Reveer’s expression was grave, as was all of the Science Department. Everyone in the Black Order had heard about the terrible massacre that had occurred, but none were willing to talk about it. 

Allen was just silent for a moment before getting back to the task at hand. “Could you please look at this Innocence shard? I think something is wrong with it.”

On the other side of the department sat Tyki. Tyki was minding his own business, wondering if he was going to get lunch Kanda, as he had suspected, was not as nice as Allen when it came to food, and often left Tyki to stave for meals at a time. As Tyki looked around the cell, he spotted a familiar sight. The man’s hart leapt at the sight of the white-haired teen. _Finally! He’s back!_

“Interesting.” Commented Reever as he inspected the Innocence piece. “And you say it was like this when you found it?”

“Yes, and that is what is odd about it.”

“Hmmmmmm. Could I and the other scientists have a look at this for a while?”

“Yes, I was hoping you would say that.” 

“Alright then! I’ll just take the Innocence and we-” He never got to finish his sentence, for at that moment, the Innocence shard began to glow.

“What’s going on?” Asked Reever, the light getting brighter.

“I don't-” Suddenly, the Innocence flew right out of Reever’s hand, and flew straight across the Science Department. Suddenly, the room was engulfed by a bright light, blinding the occupants of the floor. As the light died down, Allen gasped. There was Tyki, looking mildly surprised while inspecting at his hands. Around them were a pair of Dark Gloves, and on them rested the image of a Butterfly.

“Well isn’t this interesting boy,” smirked Tyki. “It seems that I am an accommodator for one of your precious Innocence.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And TWIST! Hope no one saw that coming.
> 
> Read and Review please!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is it so hard to lie sometimes?

“No way!” exclaimed Lavi, as he took a large bite out of his chicken leg. It was a few days later, but already news was flying throughout the Black Order about the new accomodator, Tyki.

“It is true.” replied Allen as he wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Tyki is compatible with a piece of Innocence, and therefore can become an Exorcist.”

“It is probably a fake. The Earl could have made one for him.”

“No I don't think so. When the Science Department tested it, they told me that it really was a piece of Innocence.”

“Still, I’ve never heard of a black Innocence before.” noted Lenalee.

“Well neither have I, but the Science Department is looking into it. But nevertheless, they are still having me keep a watch on Tyki. Speaking of which, I need to go down and feed him.”

“What? Has Tyki become your pet or something?” Asked Lavi as he leaned over and looked at Allen. Allen sighed, pushing his friends face out of the way.

“No, but I _am_ still in charge of him.”

“Allen, are you going to tell him about…the mission?” Asked Lenalee quietly. Suddenly the air got very heavy, a black cloak seemed to engulf the group. While the three friends may have been back for a few days, Allen had yet to tell Tyki about the mission.

“Do I really have a choice Lenalee?” muttered Allen, looking up from his plate. Lenalee seemed like she was going to respond, but then thought better of it. “Crack, Momo, and Eaze were Tyki’s only human friends. He deserves to know about them; be him evil or not. However, I am only going to tell him when I think the time is right. This will be a large blow to him.”

“Heck, it was a huge blow to the entire Black Order, and they weren’t even there!” Commented Lavi. Allen nodded.

“I’ll tell him eventually, but not yet. Not yet.”

************************************************************************************

Inhaling deeply, Tyki let the smoke from his cigarette fill his lungs. Oh, how he would love to get out and walk around, but he knew he couldn’t. He wanted to return to the Earl, and see if he could get his powers back. He longed to get back to see his human friends too.

As he watched the smoke swirl in the air, Tyki saw his caretaker coming towards his direction form the corner of his eye. Seeing the boy carrying food, Tyki exhaled the smoke before stomping out his treat. Finally, he could eat! It was nice having the boy back. That blue-haired samurai had left him without food for several days while the teen was away. Tyki would not be surprised if he had lost weight as a result. As the boy got close, Tyki noticed the difference again. It wasn’t his appearance, but it was something else. It had been the same in the past few days. Ever since the teen had returned from his mission, something was different about him. He was still talkative, and seemed to act normally around him, but it was different than before. Allen seemed to be a little reclusive, and had stopped asking about Tyki’s friends. As soon as Allen spotted Tyki looking at him however, the boy’s attitude changed completely.

“Good morning Tyki.” Said Allen cheerfully as he approached the man’s cell. “I got some chicken and gravy for dinner. I’m sorry I couldn’t get a potato though.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Replied the man, studying the boy. Allen looked the same as usual. He didn’t appear to have any injuries (other than the one on his head of course), and his Innocence was still working. Nothing different. But there was, Tyki just couldn’t see it. He knew it was there. As he looked at the boy’s eyes, he saw it. On the surface, the grey-colored orbs looked no different from the rest of his body. But as Tyki gazed deeper into Allen eyes, he could see a hesitation. An uncertainty. A secret. A lie.

“Tyki?” Asked Allen, pulling the man from his thoughts. Tyki blinked to see Allen straining , looking a little confused.

“Oh. Sorry.” Muttered the man as he took the tray of food from Allen’s hands. He had seen it. The lie. There was something Allen was hiding from him, and he was determined to find out what it was.

“Thank you for the meal.” The two engaged into a small conversation as Tyki munched on his chicken. Allen seemed to be the same as always. The Order had no plans to send Allen on another mission anytime soon, so life had gone back to the way it had been before the boy had left. But Tyki knew better. He noticed the way the Science Department looked at him when they ran their tests. Whatever Allen was hiding, the rest of the Order seemed to know about it.

“…And that was when Lenalee told Lavi that he had not actually eaten a cooked snail, he had eaten a raw slug!” Finished Allen, chuckling. 

“You seem to have a fun time with your friends.” Commented Tyki as he downed the last bit of chicken on his plate.

“Yeah.” Sighed Allen. “Lavi and Lenalee are really nice people.”

“My friends are like that too. I remember one time we managed to trick Crack into thinking that there was no work on one day. He took the day off, and as a result was punished with scrubbing the bathrooms. We helped him out though of course, since we were the reason he was there in the first place. But Crack really needed the time off, so it was a pretty good day.” Tyki noticed that as soon as he mentioned his friends, Allen had gone silent. As he looked at the boy’s eyes, he saw the lie once more.

“You saw my friends while you were on the mission didn’t you.” Stated Tyki. It was not a question. It was a fact. Allen’s head snapped up.

“What are you-?”

“Don’t lie to me boy.” Cautioned Tyki, standing up to tower over the boy. “While I am a prisoner here, I am not blind. I know you are hiding something from me.”

Allen said nothing, his eyes hidden behind his bangs.

“Oi boy!” barked Tyki, getting a little irritated that the boy was taking no notice of his comment. “What happened on the mission? What happened to my friends? I demand that you tell me!” The room was silent for a long time. Finally, Allen raised his head once more. Tyki was stopped. Gone was the mask of deceit that Allen had so carefully woven over himself, and in its place, a look of great sadness, sorrow, and regret. 

“I was hoping to tell you this in under different circumstances, but I guess I have no choice.”

Allen’s words sent shivers up Tyki’s spine. Something had happened on that mission. Something bad.

“I did, in fact, see your friends on the mission. I saw all three of them. They were working at the coal mine. Lavi, Lenalee, and I were there. We had hoped to locate the Innocence piece there, and we did find the shard; actually, Eaze was the one to find it. But as we were coming back from the mine, there was an attack on the camp.”

Tyki froze. _No._

“Many miners died in what is now known as the Miner’s Massacre.” _No no no no NO!_

“Tyki Mikk, your friends and several others were killed during this Akuma attack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N And here is chapter 9! I hope you have enjoyed my story so far!
> 
> Next time: Tyki’s reaction!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyki's reaction...

_“Tyki Mikk, your friends and several others were killed during this Akuma attack.”_

No.

_“I did everything I could, but their wounds were too great. We could not save them.”_

_No._

_“I am sorry, Tyki.”_

_NO!_

Allen stared at the man, waiting for a reaction. A thousand emotions seemed to be running across the man’s face; ranging from hate, to sorrow, to shock. And yet Tyki did not move. There was no screaming or pounding of fists on the floor. There was…nothing.

“Tyki?” whispered Allen as he reached his hand between the bars of the cell. “I am so sorry to tell you this. I know that they meant a lot to you.”

“No they didn’t.” muttered Tyki suddenly as he jerked away from Allen’s outstretched hand. “To me, they were just another bunch of stupid humans who got caught up in all of this. They were no different from every other human that I have killed.” Allen stared at Tyki, not believing his ears for a minute. 

“Tyki, I know that it might not be my place to say anything, but I believe that you really felt love for them.” Tyki turned away from Allen. “Even though you say that you will kill what you love, I just can’t believe your words. I have seen you with them, I have watched you talk about them, and I can see that you cared for them deeply.” Tyki was silent, his eyes and body unmoving. 

“To me, you seem as if you are putting up a front for the Earl, or rather, yourself. You are just trying to convince yourself that humans mean nothing to you, when in reality, you loved your human friends more than anything on this planet. To hear that they were attacked must be hard for you.” Silently, Allen placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. He was warm, very warm. As the teen watched his prisoner, a great sadness seemed to envelope him. He knew this was going to be hard. That was why he had tried to prolong this moment as long as he could. But there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could say. But he should try. He should try for the sake of the man, and for his own sake as well. “But that is why we fight the Earl; to prevent things like this from happening.”

“Shut up!” said Tyki, slamming the boy’s hand away again. As Allen looked the man over once more, the teen could see Tyki’s shoulders were shaking. Whether from fury or sadness, he could not tell. “You know nothing about my life. You have no idea how hard it is to be a Noah!” 

Allen seemed taken aback by the comment. In reality, Allen knew fully well what it was like to be a Noah (he had the 14th living inside of him for crying out loud!), but he knew that what he was experiencing from the 14th was different from the other Noah.

“To not be allowed to love anything,” continued the man, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. “You have no idea how hard that is on a person.” Allen was shocked. Tyki’s voice seemed to take on a new tone. This time, his voice was not filled with anger, rather with sadness. It was barely audible, but Allen could hear it nonetheless. 

“These hands,” said Tyki, looking down at his hands. “Have spilled so much blood, that it would fill an ocean.” Tyki closed his fist. “And these hands,” he moaned, “would have had to have spilled the blood of my best friends in two weeks time, had I not been captured by you.” Tyki buried his face inside his hands, not looking at the white-haired teen standing before him.

“I do have some good news though.” Allen continued. “The little boy, Eaze, survived the attack, and is being taken here, to live at the Black Order.”

Tyki’s head snapped up. “What?” He whispered. “No, no, no!”

“What’s the matter?” Asked Allen, looking at Tyki. “I thought you would be happy to hear that at least one of your friends is safe.”

“Shut up!” Shouted the man. “I am happy that Eaze is alive, but I don't want him to come. Not here.”

“Why? Out of all of the places on this Earth, this would be the safest place to hide from Akuma!”

“It is not that I am worried about them hiding. It’s just that, I tried so hard to not let my friends get into this war. They did not belong in this world. And they certainly do not belong here with my enemies!”

“Well if you have not forgotten Tyki,” said Allen, ignoring the way Tyki had spat the word _enemies_. “You are no longer a Noah, and you are compatible with Innocence. We are no longer your enemies, whether you like it or not.”

“Just leave me.” whispered Tyki. Allen stared at Tyki briefly, before getting up from his seat and turning to leave.

“I will be back with breakfast in the morning.” Allen said over his shoulder. “Your friend will be here in a few days.” Allen started to walk away, when he heard something he never thought he would hear come from the Ex-Noah’s mouth.

“Allen, wait.” The boy could not believe his ears. Tyki had called him by his first name!

“Please, if it is essential for Eaze to come here, do not let him know I am here. Please.” Allen turned back to the Ex-Noah.

“Don't worry, your secret will be safe with me.” Allen smiled over at Tyki, who was already climbing into his bed cot.

“Goodnight, Tyki Mikk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so here is chapter 10! I know it's short, but the next chapter will be a little longer. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, if you guys like my writing, I have another work that isn’t fanfiction posted on my DeviantART account. You can find the link to my page on my profile. Just go to my gallery and go to “Original”. The one-shot is called “Broken Words.” I have other one-shots that I’ve written and I plan on posting them there sometime in the near future. Hope you guys enjoy!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eaze arrives...

Eaze arrived at the Black Order a few days later, just as Allen promised. His head was turned down as he silently followed the Finder Jake in front of him. 

“This is the dinning room,” explained Jake, “this is were you will be eating all of your meals. And over here is where you order your food. Jerry will be more than happy to make you anything you want to eat. Most Finders eat over on the left side of the dinning room, but you are free to sit wherever you like.” 

Eaze still did not say anything. Jake sighed. “I know that this is going to take a little getting used to, but for now, just be happy that you are alive.” The boy nodded, and the Finder continued. It took a good two hours to show Eaze around, but the child seemed to remember where everything was. Afterward, they both headed to the cafeteria to get some food.

“Hey, isn’t that the new kid?” whispered a Finder.

“Yeah, I heard that his friends were killed in the Miner’s Massacre,” replied another. “He wasn’t supposed to come here, but Walker-dono apparently made a deal with the boy’s guardians before they passed to take care of him. The higher up’s decided that he will become a Finder, even though he is only seven.”

“Interesting. Hey kid!” Shouted the first Finder, “come sit over here with us!” But Eaze was not paying attention to the finders. “Allen!” shouted the boy, running over to the teen’s table. Allen was sitting at the other side of the room with Lavi and Lenalee, enjoying his breakfast with the two when the boy spotted him.

“Eaze-san, I don’t think that you-” but the boy was already half way to the table. “Hey!” shouted the Finder, but the boy ignored him. _Oh, I’ll get him after lunch,_ thought the man. _He still needs to be tested by Hevlaska anyway._

Allen heard Eaze’s voice before he even saw the boy. As he saw the boy running towards him, his face seemed to soften.

“Hi Eaze.” The boy only ran over to Allen and gave him a big hug. 

Allen seemed taken aback by the action, but soon regained his posture. Looking down at the boy he smiled. “See? I told you that you would be here soon.” Eaze just seemed to grip onto Allen tighter.

“Yo Eaze!” said Lavi, getting up from his seat and walking over to Allen’s side of the table. “Good to see you again.” Eaze released Allen to look over at the red-haired teen.

“Hi Lavi-san, Lenalee-chan.”

“Hello Eaze-kun.” chirped Lenalee, smiling.

“Allen, can I eat with you guys?” asked Eaze, looking up at the teen. 

Allen smiled. “I would love to eat with you Eaze, but I have to go somewhere right now. But don’t worry, I’ll be back in an hour.”

“But you were just eating!”

“I know, but now that I’m finished I have to take care of something.”

“Wait! Let me come with you!”

“I don’t think so. I have to go by myself.”

“Oh, so do you have a secret job like Tyki?”

“Sort of.”

Suddenly, Eaze seemed to pause. His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. “Is this the secret place that Tyki always went to?” Allen froze. “Is he here? How is he? I want to see him! This is the place right?” Allen turned to look at the boy.

“Sorry,” said Allen, “Tyki-san isn’t here.” Eaze’s face fell.

“Are you sure Allen? Tyki is always going off somewhere to do his secret job. This might be where he is.”

“I’m sorry Eaze, but he is not here.”

“I know almost everyone in the Order.” commented Lavi, sitting back down in his chair. “If he was here the Finder would have told you before you arrived.”

“Oh.” Allen felt a pang of guilt shoot through his heart. He hated to lie to Eaze, but it was for the boy’s own good. Tyki had asked him to the tell Eaze that he was there, and that’s just what Allen planned on doing.

“Don’t worry Eaze,” said the teen, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We’ll find him. I promise.” Eaze seemed to be reassured by the statement, smiling up at the teen. 

“I have to get going. You can eat with Lavi and Lenalee here, but I think Jake wants to talk to you later, so be sure to find him ok?” Eaze just nodded. “Now, go off and order some food. The meat here is great!” At this, Eaze’s face seemed to brighten.

“Ok.” With that, Eaze walked over to talk to Jerry.

“You know he is going to find out sooner or later.” sighed Lavi, leaning back in his chair. Allen paused as he picked up his dish.

“I know, but I would prefer it to be later. See you guys later.”

************************************************************************************

Tyki was sleeping on his bed when Allen arrived with his food. As the boy peered into the dark cell, Allen could make out the faint outline of Tyki’s body under the sheets. Quietly, Allen placed the food tray on the ground, before taking a seat next to the cell door. Tyki had gone through so much recently. From being captured, to loosing his powers, to loosing two of his best friends. That would be hard on anyone. Allen’s gaze drifted to the man’s face. Despite Tyki’s actions, the man really did have a handsome face. His dark curls obscured most of Allen’s view, but he could still see the man’s closed eyes, a dried trail of tears visible on his cheek. The trail led to the man’s left hand, onto which his head was propped upon. His mouth was open in a silent snore, and Allen could see the sheets rise with every breath the man took. 

_Tyki really is…beautiful._

Allen nearly slapped himself. _Tyki? Beautiful?_ Why was he thinking _that!_

_I’m a guy!_ Thought Allen, ignoring the fluttering within his chest. _Tyki’s a guy! There’s no way-_

“Allen?” Came Tyki’s voice from the bed. Allen pulled himself from his thoughts to see Tyki staring at him. _Damn it! When did he wake up?_

“B-breakfast is here Tyki.” stuttered Allen, pushing the food in between the bars.

“Finally!” said Tyki, yawning as he got up to stretch. “What was keeping you? I fell asleep waiting for you! Thanks for the cards by the way.”

“Your welcome. And it was your friend, Eaze, that kept me.” Tyki stopped mid-stretch.

“So, he came today?”

“Yeah. He is still…depressed about the attack, but when he saw Lavi, Lenalee, and me, his mood brightened up.”

“So he recognized you and your friends?”

“Yeah.” Tyki smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I’ll try to bring you news of him when I come down here.”

“I would appreciate that.”

“Anyway, I have to go and get some stuff done.” said Allen, standing up. “I’ll pick up the dished later ok?” Tyki smiled.

“Sure.”

************************************************************************************

Allen sighed as he rode the elevator up. Why did he have such a strange thought about Tyki? Sure, he had been around the man for quite some time now, but that still didn’t explain why-

“Allen! Allen!” shouted someone as the white-haired teen got off the elevator. Allen turned to see Lenalee running towards him.

“Hi Lenalee,” greeted Allen. “What do you need?”

“Allen, you have got to come, NOW.” ordered Lenalee, grabbing a hold of the teen’s arm.

“What, where?” Asked Allen, as he was pulled along. _Did I do something wrong?_

“Nii-san has to talk to you about something. Something important.” replied the girl, as she made her way back to the elevator.

“What is it about?”

“Eaze.” Allen’s heart stopped at the boy’s name.

“What, what is wrong with him?”

“Nothing, Eaze is fine, but something has happened.” whispered Lenalee, arriving at her brother’s floor and pulling Allen towards the room.

“Lenalee, what has happe-?”

“Allen, Allen, Allen!” cried another voice from inside the office. Allen turned to see Eaze running towards him, a big grin stretched on his face. “Guess what?”

“What?” Asked Allen, smiling down at the excited child.

“I’m an Exorcist!” Shouted the boy, jumping up and down in place. Allen froze. “I get to fight those bad things with you! Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah!” said Allen, trying not to faint. “That will be great!” _Man will I have something to tell Tyki tonight!_

“Correction Eaze, you are an accommodator.” remarked Komui, getting up from his desk. “Just because you are compatible with an Innocence shard does not make you a full fledged Exorcist.” Eaze sat down with a huff, clearly wanting to pout about the subject.

“Eaze…is an accommodator?” asked Allen, still reeling from shock.

“I told you that this was important.” muttered Lenalee, taking a seat across from her brother.

“Yes, it appears to be the case Allen,” said Komui, sighing as he sat back down. “While this young boy is only six-”

“Seven.” corrected Eaze.

“Seven years old, it appears that he has been chosen by Innocence, making him the youngest person ever to become an Exorcist.”

“Wait,” said Allen, taking a seat near Lenalee. “Eaze can’t be an Exorcist. Not yet at least. I trained with Master for several years before I became an Exorcist.”

“And this is where you come in Allen,” motioned Komui, looking the teen in the eye. Allen stiffened. He knew this couldn’t be good. “Now, you know that before an accommodator can call him or herself an Exorcist, he or she must be apprenticed to a General to receive proper training.”

“Allen, I want you to train me to become an Exorcist,” said Eaze, looking up at the teen. Allen blinked, trying to process what the boy had just said.

“Me? To train you?”

“Yep!” Said Eaze, getting up to run around again. “I want Allen Walker to be my master!” Allen seemed like he was going to pass out from the overload of new information. Luckily, Lenalee sensed what was on his mind.

“Eaze.” She spoke kindly. “Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes while Nii-san and I talk with Allen for a while?” Eaze stopped running around, suddenly looking very sad.

“Why? Why can’t I stay with you?”

“We just need to talk to Allen alone for a moment. I promise we won’t keep him long. Just for a few minutes.” Eaze looked over at Allen, hoping the boy would say something in his defense.

“I’m sorry Eaze, but I need to talk with thee two for just a few minutes. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“But, but why?” Said Eaze, starting to cry. Seeing the boy shed tears was enough to break Allen’s heart, but he had to stay strong.

“I just need to discuss some private stuff with them quickly. I’ll be out before you know it. And you know what? If you stay outside and wait for me, I’ll have Jerry cook you up some homemade cookies, just for you OK?” Eaze sniffed once before whipping away his tears and nodding. Lenalee got up and wrapped Eaze in a warm hug, trying to comfort the boy.

“We’ll let Allen out in just a few minutes ok?” she promised, looking down at the boy.

“Ok.” Said Eaze, as Lenalee let go of him. “I’ll be outside the door ok Allen? I’ll wait.” Allen smiled and nodded.

“I’ll be right out.” Eaze smiled once before disappearing behind the door.

“Ok,” said Komui, looking over at the two left in the room. “Allen, could you also tell Jerry to make some cookies for me as well?” His sister answered Komui with a whack over the head.

“Nii-san.”

“So why does Eaze want me to be his teacher?” Asked Allen, looking over at the two siblings. Komui sighed before answering.

“Well as you can see, Eaze is going through a difficult time in his life. He has no parents, no relatives, no one to take care of him other than you. You are the only person Eaze really knows at this point, so he wants to be with you. Besides, you already promised the boy’s friends that you would look after him.”

“Yeah I know but-”

“Eaze is feeling very lonely right now.” explained Lenalee, placing a hand on Allen’s leg. “He doesn’t want anyone else he knows to die, so he wants to be with you. He is scared that if he leaves you for just a second, something bad will happen to you.”

“Then why does he want to become an Exorcist?” questioned Allen, looking over at Komui. “If he doesn’t want to see anyone else die, then why does he want to live here?”

“Eaze doesn’t want to stay helpless forever Allen.” answered Komui, looking serious again. “He wants to be able to fight and protect his friends, just like you want to protect yours.”

“So why do you want him to become my apprentice?” Asked Allen. “Why are you letting him convince himself that I will be his master? Isn’t he supposed to be apprenticed to a General?”

“Yes, normally that is how it would work Allen, but right now the Generals are very preoccupied. Klaud Nine is busy training Timothy in Australia and Froi Tiedoll is still training Chaozii in China. Kevin Yeegar is dead, and for all we know so is Marian Cross.”

“So why not let Winters Socalo take care of him?” Asked Allen. The room was quiet for a few minutes as Allen realized what he had just asked.

“Allen, you know as well as I do that Socalo would rip that boy apart.” Said Lenalee, sighing. 

“Besides, he hates taking on apprentices, even more so than Cross.” noted Komui, pushing up his glasses. “That young boy need some love right now, but also need someone to train him. Allen, we all know that you are as strong as any General, and Eaze already knows you. It would be healthier for him if Eaze stayed with you.”

“But what if he finds out about Tyki?” asked Allen, looking Komui in the eye. “I already have to take care of him. You can’t expect me to take care of both of them without Eaze finding about Tyki can you?”

“That may be a problem, but we are confident that you can figure something out.” replied Komui, getting up from his chair. “Allen, we really need you to take care of Eaze right now. He is not very emotionally stable at the moment, as you have just seen his frequent mood changes. He is scared, and wants to be around someone he knows. Please, all we need is your approval and all of this can end.” Allen was silent for a few moments before he sighed, knowing that he had already lost the battle.

“Fine, I’ll train him.”

“Wonderful!” exclaimed Komui, clapping his hands together. “Now, I believe you have left the boy in question waiting for you outside, Allen. I think you should go out now and tell him about the decision ok?”

“All right.” Said Allen, getting up from his chair as well.

“Oh and Allen,” called Komui as the teen headed for the door.

“Yes?”

“Could you possibly bring up some of those homemade cookies as well-?” Komui’s sentence was cut off by another blow to the head by his sister.

“Ow Lenalee!” Whined Komui as he rubbed his sore head. “Why did you have to hit me again?”

“Because you are being rude! Those cookies are fore Allen and Eaze only!”

“Aw~!” pouted Komui, sitting back in his chair. “They can at least share!” Allen smiled as he left the two siblings to quarrel about the cookies, closing the door behind him.

“Are you done Allen?” peeped a hopeful voice. Allen turned to see Eaze standing next to the door. Allen smiled.

“Yes, I am done. And it has been decided that I will be your master for becoming an Exorcist.” Eaze’s eyes widened with joy as he threw himself at the boy, hugging his waist. Allen was caught off guard at the action, but then smiled and returned the hug, patting the boy on the head as he stood up.

“Now, who wants to have some cookies?” Eaze’s eyes got wide once more with excitement.

“I do! I do!” shouted the boy, hopping up and down.

“Well then lets go! If we hurry, maybe Jerry will let us have some before the next meal!” Eaze grinned and ran towards the elevator, his whole body shaking with excitement. Allen smiled as he followed the boy, but in his mind he was worried. _What will happen if Eaze finds out about Tyki?_

************************************************************************************

It was late that night when Allen heard a knock on his bedroom door. Allen groaned as he looked at the clock that read 2 am.

“Who is it?” groaned Allen, trying to go back to sleep.

“I-it’s me.” Came a small voice from behind the door. Allen immediately recognized the voice as Eaze’s, and got up from his bed. When Allen opened the door, he saw the small seven year old shaking and crying on his doorstep.

“Eaze!” shouted Allen, kneeling down to the boy’s height. “Eaze, what is wrong?”

“I c-can’t s-s-sleep.” sobbed the boy, hugging himself. “E-every t-time I g-go to sleep, I-I see…Crack and M-Momo’s faces, and I g-get scared.” Allen wore a sad smile as he embraced the crying boy.

“Come on, why don’t you come in? I have a big enough bed, so you can sleep with me tonight. How is that?” Eaze just nodded before bursting into tears again. Allen just hugged the boy close and let him cry. When Eaze seemed to be done, the two walked back into the room, closing the door behind them.

“Eaze, come to bed, I’ll make sure those nightmare don’t bother you. And if they do, just remember that when you wake up, I’ll be right beside you to comfort you ok? I’m not going anywhere.” Eaze sniffed a few times before climbing into bed with Allen, sleep and exhaustion finally taking over the two boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is Chapter 11 folks! I am SO sorry this one is so late! I swear I had this thing ready to go two days ago, but we didn’t have Internet connection until now so I couldn’t upload anything! (I was camping). I hope that having this be a long chapter (and the little TykixAllen moment I put in there for you) makes up for it!
> 
> P.S. Yes, I know the last scene is OOC for Allen, but I like it so it stays!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little flirtation...

Tyki sat on his bed, shuffling through a deck of cards in his cell. He let out a long breath as he let his head fall back onto the wall, thinking about his friend. After a few weeks at the Black Order, Eaze was apparently doing fine, at least according to Allen. This should have made the man happy but... there was still part of him that was angry to hear that his only human friend was now an Exorcist...

 Tyki smirked to himself. He wasn’t the one to talk, considering he too, was an accommodator. 

 Eaze had decided that his Innocence was to be stored in the birthday present Crack and Momo had given to him. The top still retained it normal shape when activated, but it would now could release several objects, ranging from thorns to water vapor to poisonous gas. The Science Department was indeed fascinated by this power. 

 Allen also noted Eaze already had a 30% compatibility rate with his Innocence, even though the boy had never used it. 

The only news that comforted Tyki was hearing that Allen would be taking care of Eaze, at least until he became a full-fledged Exorcist. Ever since Tyki found out about his friend’s deaths, Allen and Tyki’s relationship had gotten a lot closer. As much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to like the white-haired boy. 

 Maybe more than he should.

“Good morning Tyki.” came Allen’s voice from across the Science Department. Tyki stopped his shuffling momentarily to see Allen walking towards him with his breakfast. Expecting to see the usual eggs and bacon on the tray, Tyki was surprised to see the boy bearing a large stack of pancakes. As the boy got closer, Tyki could also see that Allen had even managed to get butter and a cup of syrup to go with the meal. Tyki seemed to be amused as Allen passed him the food through the bars of the cell.

“Pancakes?” questioned Tyki, raising an eyebrow. “”What's the special occasion?”

“I had a feeling you were getting bored with the eggs and bacon, so I got you something a little different today.” answered his jailer as he took a seat in front of the cell.

“Thank you. Do you think you could get a scone and some coffee tomorrow?”

“I’ll try. The scone should be easy, but I don’t know about the coffee. Oh! Do you have any laundry today?”

“Yeah yeah.” replied Tyki, walking over and grabbing a black bag from under his bed. “You forgot it last night.”

“Sorry.” muttered Allen as he took the bag from the man. “I was kind of in a hurry.”

“I noticed. How is Eaze today?”

“Well, Eaze is going to start his training on Friday, so he’s kind of excited right now.”

Tyki didn’t even get to bite into his pancake stack before his appetite was gone.   “Why do you always have to give me the bad news _before_ I have finished my meal?” sighed the man, pushing away the food. “You keep ruining my appetite!”

“Sorry.” Said Allen, looking slightly embarrassed. “You asked though.”

“True.”

“Anyway, I don’t know if this is good news to you or bad news, considering you were a Noah before.” Tyki seemed to pause at the statement, turning his fork over in his hands.

“Well, personally I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t like the idea of Eaze fighting on the front lines at such a young age, however, I guess I am glad that Eaze is at least learning to defend himself.”

“So you are starting to change your outlook on life after all!” said Allen, smiling as he sat down at his usual spot in front of the cell. “Oh! And I actually have some good news today as well. The higher up’s are thinking about releasing you from your confinement and allowing you to live amongst the other Exorcists.”

“Now _that_ is some good news!” exclaimed Tyki, his appetite returning. “That is the best news I have heard in months! Finally, I might be able to get out of this damn cell!”

“Sorry it is not very fun in there. I have been trying to sneak in things I thought you would like.” muttered Allen, pretending to be offended.

“I appreciate that, but it is still boring as hell in here.”

“How could you possibly be bored? I got you a set of cards, dice, several books, and even snuck you a pack of cigarettes!”

“Alright- you do have a point there.” admitted Tyki as he handed Allen his empty tray. As Tyki passed the bag through the bars, his hand momentarily brushed against Allen’s. Immediately the boy stiffened, yanking the bag into his side of the bars. Tyki blinked. What was with the boy’s reaction? Suddenly, a memory came to the surface of his mind. A few days ago, when Allen had told him that his friends were dead, Tyki had woken to seeing the boy staring at him with a strange expression on his face. A wicked smile crossed his face as he leaned forward in his seat, an idea suddenly popping into his head.

“See if you can sneak in a chess board though. That might help me not be so bored.” Said the man, looking straight down at the boy.

“But how are you going to be able to play chess by yourself?” asked Allen, looking confused.

In a flash Tyki’s hand darted out from behind the cell, grabbing hold of Allen’s arm and pulling him close to the bars. Allen blinked; suddenly Tyki’s face was very close to his.

“Oh I won’t be playing by myself,” whispered Tyki, his breath hot on the boy’s face. “I was planning on making you stay down here to play with me.” Allen jerked his hand away from the bars and out of Tyki’s grasp, heat rising to his face.

“I-I will think about it.” muttered the boy, not looking at the Noah. Had Allen not turned away and hidden his face, Tyki might have been able to see a small dusting of pink glaze over the boy’s cheeks. But Tyki had seen enough. The boy’s reaction had confirmed his suspicions. “But right now, I have to help the kitchen get ready for Eaze’s welcoming party.” Continued Allen.

“Welcoming party?”

“Whenever a new Exorcist joins the Black Order, we welcome them with a big party.” explained the boy, still not looking at the man.

“Interesting.”

“Anyway, I will tell you how it goes later tonight.” In one quick motion, Allen was on his feet, laundry bag in hand, and walking towards the elevator. A thousand thoughts raced through his head, but one seemed to stick out from all of the rest.

_Blushing? Why was he blushing?_

************************************************************************************

It took only a few minutes for Allen to reach his desired floor, but those few minutes seemed to last an eternity. _Why was he blushing? Why did his heart pounding as soon as Tyki’s hand grabbed his arm? Why was it so hard to speak to the man afterwards? Why did it still feel like he had a lump in his throat? And why can’t he think of anything else but how close they were?_

“Hey Allen!” shouted a happy voice from behind the white-haired Exorcist. Allen pried his thought from Tyki and turned to see Eaze running over to him. He smiled at the sight.

“Hi Eaze. I thought I told you to stay with Lenalee for a while.”

“Komui-san called her up for something, so I thought I’d come looking for you.” Eaze tilted his head to the side, finally taking notice of the bag of clothing in Allen’s right hand.  
 “What are those?” wondered Eaze, pointing to the bag of laundry. _Uh oh_. “Um, those are my clothes.” Said Allen, moving the bag behind him.

“Why are your clothes in the Science Department?” questioned the boy, looking up at his mentor. “That’s where you were coming from right?”

“Well yeah but-“ Eaze pulled the bag from Allen’s hand and peered inside.

“These can’t be your clothes Allen.” stated the boy as he held up a black jacket. “These are way to big for you, and all of them are tuxedos.”

“Well, what I meant to say is that these are someone else’s clothes.” Said Allen, giving up on lying. _Why did Tyki have to insist on wearing a tuxedo? He is a prisoner of war for crying out loud!_ “I am just taking them up to be washed.”

“No one I know wears tuxedos in the Science Department.” _Damn it! Why does he have to be so observant?_

“Well, you see, I am in charge of taking care of someone down there.” Allen could see no way out of this. He would just have to pray that Eaze was not in a curious mood today, which, the way things were going now, was not very likely.

“Really? Who?” asked Eaze.

“Just someone.” Allen turned to Eaze. “I would appreciate it of you would not ask me anymore questions.” Eaze blinked, then nodded.

“Ok, I won’t ask you anymore questions.”

“Thank you.” sighed Allen, relief flooding through his body. “Now if you would excuse me, I have to go clean these clothes.” And with that, Allen disappeared, running as fast as he could to the laundry room. Eaze turned to a Finder that happened to be passing by.

“Excuse me sir,” he asked politely, “But who exactly is Allen-sensei taking care of?” The Finder turned to the boy.

“A few months before you came, Mr. Walker went on a very interesting mission.” 

 “Ooooo!” said Eaze, clearly interested. “What happened on the mission?”

“Mr. Walker and his group came across a Noah.”

“A Noah?”

“A Noah is an evil human that serve the Millennium Earl,” explained the Finder. “They can control Akuma, and they even have their own powers as well.”

“But if they are human, then why do they serve the Millennium Earl?”

 “No one really knows for sure, but they don’t consider themselves as normal humans. Noah are very dangerous and extremely hard to kill, but Allen-dono managed to catch one and destroy his Noah powers.”

“Then what happened?”

“Well, while it is admiral that Allen-dono defeated a Noah, the higher ups did not like the thought of a Noah being kept here. However, Allen-dono was livid, and refused to execute him.”

“Why?”

“It’s against his morals. Allen-dono will never kill a human, only Akuma.”

“So what happened after that?”

“While he may have killed the Noah, the higher ups still thought it necessary for Allen-dono to be punished for bringing him here. And so his punishment is to take care of the Noah while he is here.”

“Who was the Noah that Allen-sensei brought back?”

“The Noah’s name is Tyki. Tyki Mikk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is Chapter 12! I know it’s short and I apologize for leaving you guys with a cliffhanger, but at least there is another TykixAllen moment! Hope you enjoyed!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan

Allen stifled a yawn as the landscape flew past him. The train ride back from London wasn’t long, but Allen was starting to feel sleepy. However Allen wasn’t surprised that he was tired. Going to London on errands for everyone was exhausting. He was carrying six boxes of stuff, two of them bursting with books for Lavi. And of course, ever since that morning, all Allen could think about was Tyki.

_Why did I blush when our faces were so close?_

  _Why is my heart still pounding from that experience?_

_Why am I even thinking about Tyki in this way?_

_What is Tyki to me?_

_What am I to Tyki?_

Allen sighed as he ran his finders through his hair. What was it about the man that made Allen feel different? Was it because he was a Noah, like he was? Or was it something more? Allen shook his head. He was so confused. Maybe Tyki was just a friend? 

The boy ended up buying his prisoner a chessboard, even though he had a feeling that he would regret the purchase later. _I’ll probably be stuck playing chess with him for the rest of the night,_ he thought as he made his way to the Science Department, food and laundry in hand. 

Allen did not however, see the little boy following his every step from the shadows.

“Hey Tyki!” called Allen. “I’m here with dinner!” As the teen neared the cell, Allen could see the Ex-Noah was playing a card game with himself. The man grinned as he eyed the chessboard in the boy’s hand.

“Well, well, “ said Tyki, moving closer to the entrance of the cell. “You did buy the chessboard after all.” Allen sighed, trying to calm down himself down.

“Just eat first please. I have news.” Tyki ate his meal in silence, grateful that he could finally eat his food without hearing bad news beforehand. “Well,” he continued, pushing away his empty bowl. “What do you have to tell me?” But Allen never got to answer, because a small voice from the back of the room interrupted him.

“Tyki.” The voice said. Allen froze. _He followed me!_ Slowly, Allen turned to see Eaze staring at him, or rather at the man behind the bars. 

“Eaze,” asked Allen in a shocked tone, “What are you doing here? Why are you not with everyone else at dinner?”

“Tyki.” Eaze repeated, stepping closer. Tyki seemed to be frozen, eyes wide with horror.

“Who?” asked Allen as he got up from is seat. “This guy? No, no, no. This isn’t Tyki. This is…um…my friend…Maki.” Tyki gave Allen a glare, and Allen was silent.

“No.” Said Eaze, walking closer to the two of them. “It’s Tyki.” The boy stepped closer, looking at the man behind the bars. Tyki’s heart froze. “You’re a Noah, aren’t you Tyki? You work for the Millennium Earl.”

“Wait, Eaze,” replied Allen, giving up on lying. “How did you find out that I was taking care of him?” Eaze turned to Allen and frowned.  

”A Finder told me.” Eaze’s voice was very quiet, almost a whisper. “Why Tyki? Why are you on that bad guy’s side? Why don’t you fight with Allen and us? Why did you become our friend, Tyki?” There was a brief but tense silence.

“I became your friend, because I wanted to have a normal life.” answered Tyki confidently.

“Liar!” accused Eaze, his eyes narrowing. “You did it to make fun of us didn’t you? You didn’t care that we loved you! You didn’t care that we worried about you all the time! You only wanted to make fun of us! I know about what you used do to! We thought you were good, but you aren’t! You hurt and kill everyone! Why?” Eaze was angry, very angry. “Why did you let my friends die?”

“I did not let them die!” defended Tyki as he rose from his seat. “I wasn’t there when our friends were killed!”

“Oh, our friends?” said Eaze, voice rising as well. Tyki had never seen Eaze act like this. He didn’t like it. “They are not _our_ friends! They are _my_ friends! It’s your fault that I am alone! It’s _your fault_ that I can’t sleep at night! It is _your_ fault that my friends are dead!”

“Eaze!” shouted Allen, horrified at what the boy had said to Tyki. “I know that Tyki has done some bad things in the past, but it is _not_ his fault that your friends died! Apologize!”

“No!” cried Eaze. “I will _not_ apologize! He’s not my friend! He is just an evil person who doesn’t deserve to live!” Eaze pulled out his button collection and hurled the bag at Tyki. The bag hit its mark with a soft thud, before falling to the ground, buttons falling like scattered rain.

“Here!” yelled the child, tears welling in his eyes. “I don’t want these anymore! Take these back, now! I never want to see you again! I HATE YOU, TYKI MIKK!” And with that, Eaze ran up the stairs, the sound of the boy’s footsteps resonating throughout the floor.

There was only silence for several minutes. What was there to say? Eaze had left Allen speechless. Eaze had a right to be angry, but he should never have said such terrible things to Tyki. Allen just listened to the silence until he could take it no more.

“Tyki?” the boy finally asked. “Tyki? Are you ok?” The only answer he received was silence. As Allen turned around to face Tyki, his heart stopped. Eaze’s final statement had completely broken the man. Tyki looked like a hollow shell, unmoving like the dead. A pained expression was etched on his face, his eyes still watching the spot where Eaze was only moments ago. 

“Tyki!” shouted Allen, opening the cell. He knew that he was going to be in trouble later, but at that point, the teen did not care. Allen got to Tyki’s side not a moment too soon, for in that moment, the Ex- Noah completely and utterly fell apart. Before Allen even knew what was happening, Tyki had buried his face into Allen’s chest and was sobbing. 

Allen was startled. Even when Tyki had heard about his friends death, the most Tyki had done was cry. He did not break down and start to sob, like he was doing now. Allen shook himself and let the man cry, hugging Tyki’s head to his chest.

“You know that it’s not your fault that your friends died.” He whispered, stroking Tyki’s hair. “While Eaze might be going through a difficult time, it was not his place to say that to you.”

“Yes, it was his place.” sobbed Tyki. “I was working with the Earl, and it was the Earl who did this to Eaze. I am just as responsible for their deaths as he is.”

“No, that is not true!” said Allen, hugging Tyki closer. “Tyki, you were imprisoned here when your friends were killed. You could have done nothing to stop the Earl.”

“But that does not change the fact that I was working with him!” Tyki could barely control his voice now. “I have done such terrible things, killed so many people, and separated so many families.”

“What’s been done has been done.” Said Allen, as he pulled Tyki’s face up to his. “No, we don’t have the power to change the past, but we _do_ have the power to change the future. We have the power to prevent anything like this from happening again.” 

Tyki’s sobs were starting to subside. “Join us in our fight,” whispered Allen as he wiped away the man’s tears. “Fight with us, and help us defeat the Earl, and preventing someone from having to go through this as well.” Tyki’s crying stopped. “Stay with us, and fight for us.”

Tyki looked into Allen’s eyes, his heart beginning to calm down. Could he really have a shot at redemption?

“You do not have to answer me right now,” continued Allen, releasing the Ex-Noah’s face and turning away. “But I would like you to know that you still have that option.” Tyki was speechless. _How?_ He wondered. _How can this person, this boy, be so kind to a person like me, who has done nothing but evil deeds since he could remember? Why would he even talk to a person like me? How can he even stand to be around me? How can he be so forgiving?_

Allen sighed and got up from his seat. “I have to go talk to Eaze, but I will visit you again later.” Brushing off the dirt from his clothes, the teen silently made his way to the cell door. The hinges creaked slightly as the door swung open, a few flakes of rust falling from the bars. Before Allen could leave however, Tyki’s hand found its way around his wrist once more. Allen turned to look at the man, a slight look of confusion crossing his face.

“Thank you, Allen.” Whispered Tyki, squeezing the boy’s arm slightly. “Thank you, for staying here with me, and being there for me, when no one else wants to be.” Allen blushed slightly, before gently pulling his wrist from the Ex-Noah’s grasp.

“Your welcome, Tyki.” And with that, the teen was gone. Gone to find the little heartbroken boy, whom he was sure would need some comforting as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is Chapter 13! OMG This was SO much harder than I anticipated! I had the basic ideas of this chapter already typed out, but trying to get everything right was a pain! But, I wanted this to be good, so I put a lot of effort into this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> ~AnimeGirl124~
> 
> Oh! And by the way, my editor for this story decided to draw fanart for this chapter so check it out! Link is here without the spaces h t t p : / / s y r a - 7 2 8 . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m / a r t / T y k i A l l e n - T h e - O n e - I - L o n g - F o r - 2 1 6 0 2 7 4 4 0 , along with the link for the story trailer here h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = n v k M s v 1 m x U s (It’s sort of a trailer. More like a regular AMV. XDDDDDD)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reconciliation and Decision-Making

“Eaze!” Called Allen, looking in the boy’s room. “Eaze? Eaze are you there?” When there was no reply Allen sighed. He had checked everywhere on the past 5 floors of the building and there was still no sign of the boy. Where could he possibly be? And why was everything starting to fall apart? First, he was acting strange around Tyki, and now, Eaze has found out about the man. What else could go wrong? Suddenly, the teen heard something. A small sniffle.

“Eaze?” Asked Allen again as he tried to locate the sound’s origin. Then Allen heard it again, only softer this time. But the sound was loud enough. Allen turned his head to look at a closet across the room. As Allen opened the door, he could see Eaze’s quivering form hiding in the corner.

“Get away from me!” shouted Eaze as he recluded even farther into the closet. “I don’t want to talk about it right now!”

“I think you do Eaze.” Replied Allen who then crawled into the closet with the boy and shut the door behind him. “I think you need to talk about this; I know I would want to if I were in your position.”

Eaze shook his head, the dim light glistening off the boy’s tears.

“Eaze, come here. Come and talk to me.” Slowly, the small child began to relax from his curled ball.

“Why?” Sniffed the boy, tears still flowing down his face. “Why Allen? Why did Tyki choose to be a Noah?” Allen’s expression softened as he looked at the child.

“Eaze, there is something you need to know about the Noah: once cannot chose to not become a Noah. It’s left up to chance, or maybe even the Millennium Earl himself.”

“How do you know that? How do you know that he didn’t have a choice?”

Allen sighed as he placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I know Eaze, because I have a Noah living inside of me as well.” Eaze froze, his eyes widening in horror.

“Get away from me!” screamed Eaze as he stood up and ran from the closet. 

“Wait Eaze!” Cried Allen, grabbing the small child by the arm. “Eaze just hear me out!”

“Help!” Shouted Eaze, trying to tear from Allen’s grip. “Someone help me! A Noah has got me! Help!”

“Eaze! Eaze please just listen to me!” Yelled Allen, finally pulling the boy around.

“Look at me Eaze, do I look like I would ever hurt you?” Eaze shook his head.

“No, but Tyki didn’t look like a bad person either.”

“That’s not the point Eaze.” Sighed Allen, kneeling down on his leg so he could be face to face with the boy.

“Listen Eaze. I have a Noah called the 14th living within me. Yes, it is a Noah, but it’s not a normal Noah. There are only supposed to be 13 Noah, but for some reason, there are 14. Mine is different from the other Noah due to certain events that even I don’t know about. I don’t know why I have a Noah inside me, but I do know that I did not have a choice in the matter. For all I know, I could have been born with the Noah already inside me. But look at me now Eaze, do I look like I could kill someone?”

Slowly Eaze shook his head once more.

“I don’t like having a Noah living inside me, but I can’t really do anything about it. All I can do is keep moving forward and never stop believing in the right thing.”

“But if you can do that Allen, why can’t Tyki?” Asked the boy, looking down at his mentor. “You’ve never killed anyone before have you Allen? Even though you are a Noah, you’ve never hurt anyone. Why does Tyki kill then? Why does he hurt people if he is the same as you?”

“Eaze, Tyki once told me that he ‘destroys what he loves’.”

“But why?”

“If I knew that answer to that Eaze, I would have told you by now.” Replied the teen, as he hugged the boy close. “All I can do now for him is try to convince him to change his ways. And while Tyki can’t take back what he has already done, he can try to stop making bad decisions in the future.”

“Why can you forgive him Allen?” asked Eaze suddenly. “The Finder told me what he did to you, how he hurt you and left you to die. How can you forgive him for that?”

Allen was silent for a moment. “I forgave him, because everyone needs to be forgiven. If we hold all of our hatred and anger towards someone within ourselves, it will only harm us in the end.” Allen paused. “Eaze, can you forgive Tyki?” Now it was the boy’s turn to be silent. Allen waited patiently as Eaze thought about his question. Slowly, the boy shook his head, and Allen’s heart fell.

“I still can’t forgive him Allen.” Whispered the boy, tears beginning to show once more. “I still can’t forgive him for what he has done. I can’t forgive him for siding with the Millennium Earl.” Allen sighed; maybe it was too soon for him to be asking Eaze such a serious question.

“You will in time Eaze.” He muttered softly. “All you need to do, is give him the opportunity to be forgiven.”

************************************************************************************

After another hour, Allen had managed to calm Eaze down enough to return to the room. But he could not erase the things that Eaze had said to Tyki, nor could he erase the feelings the boy had against the man. Eaze would have to learn to trust Tyki by himself. Afterword, Eaze went to his welcome party, while Allen headed for his room.

_I am going to need some new clothes after today,_ thought Allen, looking down at his tear-soaked shirt. Why was everyone coming to him to cry on? He was not that special. But then again, he was the one who got involved with people’s problems. Allen yawned, opening his bedroom door. His plain room looked the same as it had when he had first moved into it. Allen had changed rooms when his Innocence synch rate had reached over 100%. His room was now larger than before, and he had a bathroom connected to it. His bed was also larger that it had been in his old room; taking up most of the space in his bedroom. There was a small couch in front of a fireplace as well. Allen walked over to the dresser next to his mirror and opened the window, letting a cool draft of air come into the room. Allen picked out some new clothes, and proceeded to change. Allen looked at his anti-akuma arm in the mirror and smiled sadly. How things had changed from when he first arrived at the Black Order! Allen put on some new clothes, and left for the party. He was wondering what kinds of foods he would order, when the building exploded.

Allen jumped to the side, just in time to see a Level 3 Akuma’s head pop through Allen’s open window. Almost without thinking Allen activated his Innocence, and stabbed the Akuma in the face. The Akuma shrieked, then ceased to exist.

“Allen!” shouted a voice from behind him. Allen turned to see Lenalee panting in his doorway. “Get down to the Science Department, NOW! They’re after Tyki!” Another explosion rumbled through the building, this time hitting Allen’s room. Both Exorcists didn't have enough time to jump out of the way before the roof of Allen’s room caved in on them. 

“Lenalee!” shouted Allen, running over to help unbury his friend.

“You have to hurry!” shouted Lenalee from under the rubble. “Don’t worry about me! Just get down to the Science Department! We don't know how long it is going to be until they reach Tyki!” 

“But-”

“No buts! Just hurry!” Allen gritted his teeth, hating the idea of leaving the girl trapped under the rubble. 

“Fine! I’ll come back for you as soon as I can!” And with that, he ran outside into the hallway. As soon as he left his room however, he stopped dead, eyes wide with horror. The entire center of the building was flooded with Akuma. It was far worse than when the Akuma had first invaded with Lulubell. On his floor alone, there must have been well over one hundred, not including the ones who were making their way down to the Science Department. All around him, Allen saw Exorcists and Akuma fighting one another. He spotted Eaze fighting a Level 2 Akuma and tried to make his way towards him, but the roof above them fell again, and Eaze and the Akuma were lost from sight. _He will be fine_ , Allen told himself, trying to ignore the fact that Eaze had yet to actually use his Innocence. _He has a 30% synch rate. He will make it._

“Crown Clown!” Shouted Allen, stabbing through some Level 1 Akuma. Allen didn’t even wait for them to explode. He just ran right past them, aiming for the hole that lead to the Science Department in the middle of the building. Riding the elevator was out of the question, considering that the Akuma had already destroyed it. He would just have to go the long way. Allen looked over his shoulder just in time to see Lavi and Kanda come crashing trough the wall.

“Allen!” shouted Lavi, waving his arms around. “We’re over here!”

“Lavi, Kanda, Lenalee needs your help. She got trapped under some rubble when my room caved in!”

“Che. Get her yourself, Moyashi!” sneered Kanda. Lavi hit him over the head.

“We’ll go free her! Just get downstairs!”

“I know!” called Allen, jumping on to the railing lining the circular room.

“Wait! Allen! Are you really-” stammered Lavi, but Allen had already jumped over the railing and was falling down to the Science Department. “Hey!” Shouted Lavi. “Next time take the stairs! If you die, we’re pretty much screwed in this war!”

************************************************************************************

Tyki sighed as he leaned against the frame of his bed, his face now covered with dry tears. What was he going to do now? Eaze had found out about him being at the Black Order, and what’s more openly declared that he hated him with every fiber of his being. Tyki still loved Eaze. He could never hate the boy, but his words still stung. He couldn’t stand to be hated by his only human friend. Tyki stopped, remembering how Allen had comforted him after the fight. 

_I guess I have more than one human friend now_ , thought Tyki as he rubbed his eyes and pulled out a cigarette. In a few moments the smell of tobacco and smoke filled the air. What was it about the boy that interested him so? It had originally been the boy’s Innocence power, but now, things were different. He was different. Was it the boy’s looks that interested him? Was it his kind personality? Tyki didn’t have an answer. All he knew was that his feelings for the boy had changed since the Ark. Tyki smirked as he remembered the boy’s reaction to him earlier that day. He had a feeling that Allen’s feelings for him had changed for him too; he just wouldn’t admit it. But Tyki wasn’t so proud to entertain the idea that the feelings he had for the boy might be-

“BOOM!” Suddenly, the wall next to his cell exploded in a shower of rubble. Tyki jumped from his bed, looking at the hole that had been created by the attacker. A Level 3 Akuma’s head peeped through the hole and looked straight at Tyki. Tyki froze. _So he did come for me after all._ The Akuma shrieked in delight as it saw Tyki’s face.

“Noah-sama!” It cried. “You were here after all!” The Akuma looked over his shoulder. “Oi! I have found him! I have found Tyki-sama!” Tyki moved towards the bars of his cell and looked past the Akuma. What he saw seemed to make his heart freeze. Behind the Akuma lay what was left of the Science Department. Corpses covered the ground, and he could hear screaming in the distance. Tyki blinked, and saw the vampire Exorcist fighting off some other Akuma. He spotted a few other moving people, including Eaze.

“Eaze!” Tyki cried, trying to get out of his cell. “Get out of here! It is not safe for you!” Eaze looked over his shoulder to see Tyki trying to free himself from his cell.

“Shut up!” shouted the boy, dodging the Akuma’s attack. “I don’t want to listen to you!”

“Eaze!” Tyki shouted again, ignoring Eaze’s comment. “Please! Get out of here! I beg you! Run!”

“Free Tyki-sama!” shouted the Akuma in front of Tyki to it’s friends. The Akuma turned its attention back to Tyki. “Road-sama will be so pleased to hear that we have found you!”

“Wait!” shouted Tyki, drawing his gaze away from Eaze. “Is Road here with you?”

“Oh of course not Tyki-sama!” said the Akuma. “Road-sama only sent us here to get you back! She figured that she did not have to come with us because you would be here! She apologizes for not coming sooner though. Now!” the Akuma turned its hand towards Tyki. “I will let you out!” And fired an attack. Tyki barely had enough time to jump out of the way before the front of his cage exploded.

************************************************************************************

_What was I thinking?_ Thought Allen, falling down the hole. _I should have just taken the stairway! No! I need to get down there as soon as I can! If Tyki is freed, it could spell the end for the Black Order! I’ve got to hurry!_

Fortunately, Allen landed right on top of Eaze’s Level 2 Akuma, just as the machine was combusting, and providing the teen with a cushioned landing.

“Eaze!” shouted Allen, brushing himself off. “What are you doing here?”

“Fighting!” replied the boy. “Just like you! Anyway, don’t pay any attention to me! Stop _him_ from getting out!” Allen noticed how Eaze spat the word _him_ , and sighed. It seemed he still had not gotten over what had happened earlier. Then suddenly, there was another loud bang. Allen swiveled around and his heart froze. Tyki was out of his cell.

Tyki stepped out from the rubble, not believing his eyes. He was free. _He was free._ HE WAS FREE!!!!!!!!

“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” shouted a voice from behind the Akuma. Tyki looked to see Allen, looking angrier than he had ever seen the boy. “Don't you dare let him go free!”

“Well that is just too bad, boy!” shouted the Akuma. “He already is!” The Level 3 Akuma held out his hand. “Come with us, Tyki-sama.”

“No Tyki!” shouted Allen, trying to get past the hordes of Akuma that were now flooding the room. However, he did not get far before another Akuma caught him. “Don’t go with them! Stay with us! Look at what the Earl has done to us! Look at what he has done to you! Look at what he has done to Eaze! Please! Stay here! We need your help! You have the power! Fight with us!”

“’You have the power?’” The Akuma laughed. “Tyki-sama’s powers are used for the destruction of your kind! Not to help you! Now come with us, Tyki-sama, and defeat these stupid humans!” Tyki looked like he was being tormented. _What should I do? Who should I choose?_

“Don’t go Tyki!” came a new voice. Tyki face turned to shock as he saw Eaze coming up from behind Allen. Tyki could not believe his ears, nor could Allen. If Eaze hated Tyki so much, why was he calling out to him?

“Don’t leave Tyki! If you do, I’ll never be able to forgive you!” Screamed the boy.

“Tyki!” shouted Allen again. Tyki looked over at Allen once more before turning away. Slowly, Tyki’s began to walk towards the Akuma.

Allen was frozen. _No, no, NO!!! Don’t go that way!_ “TYKI!!!!!!!!!!!” he cried one more. Tyki’s hand clenched into a fists.

“I’m sorry, everyone.” He whispered. _NO! TYKI!!!_ Allen was on the verge of tears. _Please! Don’t go!_ Tyki looked over at Allen one last time, then said two words that Allen never thought he would hear come from the Ex-Noah’s mouth. “INNOCENCE, ACTIVATE!!!!!!!!!”

A white light enveloped Tyki. Allen, Eaze, and even the Akuma, had to shield their eyes from the light in order to not go blind. When the light died down, Allen could only stare in wonder. On Tyki’s hand were the same white gloves he had seen when Tyki has synchronized with the Innocence so long ago. The Black butterflies on the gloves seemed to stand out in contrast to the white gloves. Tyki jumped into the air, landing right next to the Akuma.

“WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?” shouted the machine. “You are a accomi-” but the Level 3 never got to finish his sentence, for at that moment, Tyki’s hand slipped inside the Akuma’s body. The Akuma froze.

“I am sorry, but will you remaining Akuma tell Road that I have no intention of going back?” Tyki’s voice sounded level, but Allen could feel the emotion in Tyki’s voice. “Tell her, that being here, my eyes have finally been opened, to the true nature, of the Earl?”

“But Tyki-sama!” said another Akuma. “Why do you want-”

“Cleanse!” shouted Tyki. Allen activated his left eye. A while light had appeared inside the Level 3 Akuma’s body. The white light grew, until it enveloped everything inside the Akuma. The Level 3 Akuma shrieked in pain, then combusted into a thousand pieces. Tyki turned to face the rest of the Akuma. “GO!!!!!!!!” he shouted. “Before I Cleanse every last one of you!” The Akuma hesitated, not sure of what to do.

“Fine,” said Tyki, looking over the hundreds of Akuma faces. Tyki raised his arm again. “Mass Cleanse!” he shouted. The Akuma didn’t even know what hit them. In less than a second, every last Akuma had a bright light coming from within them. They didn’t even have time to shriek before every human soul was free from its prison. _He’s strong!_ Thought Allen. Tyki looked across the now almost empty room, satisfied with his work. He glanced over to a corner and saw one last Level 2 Akuma trying to hide behind a pile of rock. 

“Will _you_ carry my message to Road?” asked Tyki. The Akuma nodded. “Then go.” The Akuma did not need to be told twice after seeing its comrades die. It flew out the side of the building as fast as it could. Tyki glanced over his shoulder at Allen and smirked. Suddenly, Tyki fell to the ground.

“Tyki!” cried Allen, running over to the Ex-Noah, Tyki saw Allen catch him and he grinned. Then, the world went black, and Tyki slipped into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok here is Chapter 14! Man did I add a lot to this chapter! Originally it was just going to be the fight scene, but I decided to add the scene with Eaze and Tyki's thoughts. It made the chapter twice as long. Hope you like it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle

Tyki awoke to the sound of a distant voice in his head. _Where am I?_ He wondered, eyes still closed. Then the voice came again, and he realized that it was calling his name. Tyki tried to get up, but fell back on the bed as soon as he did. He was exhausted! Every bone and muscle in his body seemed to ache. Slowly, Tyki tried to close his hand, but could only do so partly. His body wasn't achy-it was stiff! That was it! His body felt like it hadn’t been used in a long time! _What happened to me?_ Then the memories flooded his mind, and the man groaned.

“Tyki?” asked the voice. It was then that he realized the voice wasn’t in his head; it was coming from a person. Tyki cracked open an eyelid to see someone perched by his bedside. _Wait, why am I in a bed?_ As his eye came into focus, Tyki recognized the figure as Allen. 

“Tyki!” breathed Allen, relief seeming to flood through the boy. “Thank God you are awake! I was so worried!” Tyki looked up to see the boy smiling down on him.

“Where am I?” groaned the man, trying to sit up once more.

“Don’t get up yet.” Said Allen, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder and gently pushing him down. “You haven’t moved in five days. Your muscles are stiff and not used to the movement. As for your question, we are in the infirmary, or rather, in a private room in the infirmary.”

“Why private?” questioned Tyki, noticing how Allen removed his hand quickly from his arm. Allen looked away.

“The other patients would not feel very safe if they knew that they were sitting next to a Noah.” 

Suddenly, a key memory kicked into Tyki’s mind. “Allen,” Tyki almost seemed to shout, forgetting Allen’s advice. Tyki winced as he tried to ignore the outcry from his muscles. “What happened afterwards? What happened to the Innocence?”

“Calm down.” The teen remained silent as he took hold of Tyki’s left hand and brought it up to his face. “It’s right here.” Tyki tilted his head to the side. On his middle finger rested a small silver ring. The ring looked very simple at first glance, but as he looked at it longer, Tyki could see a small gold butterfly engraved into the metal.

“This is what it looks like when it’s deactivated,” explained Allen, releasing Tyki’s hand. “You already know what it looks like released, so-”

“Tyki Mikk,” came a sharp voice from across the room. Allen and Tyki turned to see none other than Howard Link standing in the doorway.

“Link! What are you-?”

“Silence, Allen Walker.” snapped Link, cutting off Allen’s question. “I am here to speak with Tyki Mikk, not with you.”

“What is it that you need?” asked Tyki politely.

“During the incident five days ago, you decided to stay and fight on our side correct?” Link raised his eyebrow, and Tyki nodded. “Because you have done so, the higher ups have decided to end your imprisonment.” Tyki looked over at Allen to see if Link was telling the truth. Allen, seeming to read Tyki’s mind, nodded. Tyki's face broke out into a grin. “However!” Interrupted Link. “You will still be under constant watch by Allen Walker. While you may have switched sides, Allen Walker has not served out his full punishment for bringing a Noah into our facilities.” And with that, Link departed, slamming the door shut behind him. For a few moments there was only silence. 

“What is wrong with that guy?” remarked Tyki as he nodded in the door’s direction.

“Don’t worry about him. He always acts like that. But anyway, how does it feel? To finally be a free man?”

Tyki thought about it for a moment and rubbed his arm. “It’s painful.” Allen laughed.

“You’ll get used to it.” Seeing the teen smile warmed the man’s heart. Almost without thinking, Tyki gently placed his hand on Allen’s, cutting off the boy’s chuckle.

“Thank you.” Said Tyki quietly, squeezing the boy’s hand. “Thank you for helping me make my decision, and believing that I could change.” Tyki looked down. “I know that I will never be able to erase the sins that I have committed, but I still want to try to help the future.” Allen was momentarily stunned. He had not expected to be thanked. Looking embarrassed, Allen gently removed his hand from Tyki’s.

“Your welcome then I guess.” Just then, Eaze entered the room. The boy was leaning on a small wooden crutch; a large bandage wrapped around his right foot.

“Eaze!” shouted Tyki, looking alarmed. “What happened to you?” Eaze grinned sheepishly.

“My leg got caught under a piece of rubble. But don’t worry, it’s only a sprain.” Eaze’s face suddenly turned serious. Tyki stayed where he was, not moving a muscle. “I came to say I’m sorry for what I said to you, and to ask if you will forgive me. After seeing you fight off the Akuma and protecting Allen, I felt that it was the least I could do.” Eaze looked up. “And if it is possible, I would still like to be your friend.”

Tyki looked at the boy in utter shock. After his mind processed what Eaze had said, he heart soared. “Yes,” smiled Tyki. “I would like that very much.”

Eaze looked down at the floor, as a hint of a smile crossing his face. “Thank you.” And without another word, Eaze left, limp still audible from behind the door.

“Well,” said Allen as he got up. “The nurse said that you will be able to walk around by tomorrow morning, which is good because my friends and I have scheduled a trip to the World Fair tomorrow afternoon. We will be taking a train to London at 11:00 am, and will be coming back around 1 in the morning.”

“Why so late?”

“Because tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and we want to see the fireworks. Just be ready to leave by ten and we’ll be fine.”

“Wait, I am going with you?”

Allen looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think about something. “Well, I still am in charge of you, so I guess you have no choice but to come, because I have no intention on canceling. I haven't had a day off in months!” Tyki looked down.

“I don’t think I will be welcome.” He muttered.

“Don’t worry. I have already told Lavi and Lenalee, and they said that they are fine with it.” Replied the teen, sensing Tyki’s stress.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” 

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“Eaze had a redo for his welcome party while you were asleep so I have to help clean up. And after that I have to clean up after the Akuma attack. There is still some rubble that needs to be cleared.” Allen headed for the door. “Oh, also I will be giving you a grand tour the building at nine, so be sure to be up by then. Don't forget to bring all your stuff with you.”

“Why?” Allen looked over his shoulder and smiled one more time.

“Because you get your room tomorrow!” And with that, the teen was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is Chapter 15! I am SO sorry that this isn't as good as the last chapter! I have finals this week so I didn’t have time to really look at this and send it to my editor! I only got 3 hours of sleep last night because I was up working on my final! I am so sorry! I will post a replacement for this chapter as soon as I can! (It will be the same idea but with a few line changes). Anyway, I hope that you still like it!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new way of living

Tyki woke to the sound of someone banging on his room door. At first he had thought he was dreaming, but the sound persisted. Irritated, Tyki opened an eye to look over at the wall. The clock said it was seven in the morning.

“Tyki!” Came Allen’s voice from the other side of the door. “Tyki! Time to wake up! We have stuff to do!”

“Allen!” moaned Tyki as he covered his head with his pillow. “Why the heck are you awake at seven in the morning? I thought the tour was at eight!”

“Yes, but you have to have breakfast!” reminded the teen’s voice. “Come on and get changed!” Tyki paused at the sound of Allen’s voice. It seemed...livelier than before. If Tyki didn’t know better, he would have thought the boy was very excited about his first day off.

Twenty minutes later, Allen and Tyki were in the dinning hall. Tyki looked around, amazed at its sheer size. The room was easily 100 meters across. All around the room were wooden tables; a few groups of early-risers already perched on their seats. The ceiling of the room was amazingly high. The whole room smelt of bacon and eggs, making Tyki’s mouth water. He realized he hadn’t eaten in five days, at least according to Allen. Oddly enough however, the room was as quiet as a library.

“Jerry!” called Allen, walking over to the counter across the room. Tyki looked over to see a muscular man in sunglasses and two long ponytails looking at Allen from across the counter. The man wore a sleeveless shirt with some Japanese writing on the back of it.

“Allen!” shouted the man ecstatically, looking extremely happy to see the boy. “How are you? And more importantly, what can I make for you this fine morning?”

“I would like twenty scones, ten eggs, thirty pieces of bacon, ten pieces of bread, a large bowl of fruit salad, several helpings of hash browns, and a liter of juice please!” said Allen, his stomach growling.

“Excellent!” said Jerry, hustling to the back of the kitchen. “Oh, and also!” Jerry looked across the room to see an uncomfortable looking Tyki. “You sir, Mr. Mikk is it? What would you like to eat?”

What little conversation there was in the Dinning Hall suddenly died, all heads swiveling to look at the Ex-Noah. Tyki was silent. “Just get him some eggs and bacon please!” Replied Allen, taking the liberty of ordering for him.

“Wonderful!” said Jerry. “Come back in five minutes!”

“Thank you!” Allen walked back over to Tyki and smiled. “Come on. Lets get a seat.” The two ended up sitting on the other side of the dinning hall. Apparently, none of the Finders or Exorcists wanted to sit anywhere near the Ex-Noah.

“Allen! “ Called a voice from the other side of the room. Allen looked up to see Lavi and Lenalee waving over at him, food in hand.

“Good morning!” Allen called back. “Come sit over here with us!” Tyki noticed how the two seemed to pause for a moment, before smiling and accepting the invitation. The man said nothing and looked down at the table.

“So Allen,” started Lavi, plopping down next to the white-haired Exorcist. “Are you ready for our first day off?”

“Of course he is!” answered Lenalee, sitting down across from the two. “We’ve not had a day off in a while! We should just be lucky that nii-san agreed to let us go. He threw a huge fit about us missing New Year’s Eve.” Lenalee looked over at Tyki, who seemed like he wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor. “And good morning to you too, Tyki.” She said, smiling. Tyki looked up slightly and gave her a small smile.

“Talk about an elephant in the room.” muttered Lavi to Allen.

“Allen!” called Jerry. “Your food is ready!”

“Coming!” said Allen, getting up from his seat. “Tyki just stay here! I’ll be back in a second!” said Allen. Tyki just nodded.

This was just too strange. Sitting among the very people he had once sought to kill was very uncomfortable. Looking around the room, Tyki noticed that most of the people seated were Finders, with the lone exception of one other Exorcist. Most were giving him dirty looks, and a few were whispering about him. Tyki didn’t make eye contact with any of them, only looking at the table. Maybe he had made the wrong choice? No, he had to stay here. After what the Earl had done to him, he could not just return. Not after the massacre. The man sighed. He could tell it was going to take some time for everyone to get used to him. Heck, it was going to take him awhile to get used to the idea of switching sides as well!

True to his word, Allen was back with the food in less that a minute. Tyki stared at the mountain of food in utter amazement. _Can Allen really eat all of that?_

“Yes, he can.” whispered Lavi in the man’s ear, leaning over to answer the unspoken question in Tyki’s head.

“Here’s your food Tyki,” signaled the boy, passing Tyki a plate of eggs and bacon. “Don’t let them get cold!” 

Tyki didn’t even have time to process what Allen said before the boy’s mountain of food was gone. Tyki looked over to see Allen wiping his mouth off with a napkin. “Man that was good!” he said, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach. Allen turned to see Tyki staring at him. “What?”

“In case you are wondering, Allen always eats like that.” commented Lenalee, buttering a slice of toast.

“You don’t say.” muttered Tyki, still trying to get over the amount of food the boy just ate. _Note to self: Never take Allen out to dinner!_

“Yeah. I once challenged Allen to an eating contest.” Said Lavi. “But I obviously lost within the first few seconds!”

Lenalee and Lavi continued talking on the subject while Tyki looked around at them and sighed. They reminded him so much of his human friends. “Allen, is Eaze going to be coming with us?” Tyki asked in a hushed tone.

“He would, but since coming to the Order, Eaze has met some new people. Considering that Timothy and him are close in age, they are becoming great friends. I thought it would be good for him to get a way form me for a few days and spend some time with Timothy.” Allen whispered back. Allen himself was a little surprised at his own decision. He hadn’t expected Eaze to be making friends so soon. However, it was his job to see that Eaze would begin to live a normal life again.

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll see him in a few days.” smiled Allen, trying to cheer Tyki up. Tyki nodded.

“Also, why are your friends being so nice to me? I would have thought that they wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

“I told you yesterday,” said Allen, looking at the Ex-Noah. “Because you fought with us five days ago, they are beginning to trust you more. It may not be easy, but they said that they are willing to try and be your friend.” Tyki felt touched that Allen’s friends would be willing to do such a thing. The tension that Tyki had been feeling automatically went down after hearing what Allen had to say. Somehow, Tyki found the stomach to eat after that.

“Well,” said Lavi, polishing off his scrambled eggs. “Lenalee and I are going to get ready for the day. We will meet you at nine at the exit of the Order. Do you think you guys can make it by then?”

“I think so, but I still have to give Tyki the tour and show him to his room.”

“Ok, we will see you in a bit I guess!” said Lenalee.

“Bye Allen! Bye Tyki!” said Lavi, walking towards the entrance. He gave them one last wave before he and Lenalee disappeared from sight.

************************************************************************************

“Ok, so this is the library, where you can check out any book you want for as long as you want.” Said Allen, his arms gesturing around the room. 

It was a half an hour later, and Tyki was starting to get bored with the tour. Everything looked the same to him. So far, they had visited the cafeteria, the kitchen, the lounge, the Science Department, and Komui’s office. The one thing that Tyki really noticed was the sheer size of every room. The whole building was enormous, and so were the rooms inside it. Most of the ceilings were at least 50 feet in the air. All the rooms had chandeliers, the lone exception being the bathrooms. But even then, the bathrooms still had tiled floors and beautiful paintings hanging from the walls. Tyki could not grasp why anyone would want to look at a picture when in the bathroom though. The same was undoubtedly for the shower rooms. The bathtubs were the size of small pools, and the showers could easily fit ten people. Everything was made of marble, and the sinks had gold inlayed into the faucet handles. Tyki was very impressed.

“Ok, and last but not least, we’re going to your room,” continued Allen, pulling Tyki from his thoughts. “It is on the same floor as my room, but that’s only because I have to keep watch over you. Normally, you would be on the 12th floor with all of the other Exorcists.” 

Allen opened the door in front of him, and Tyki’s jaw went slack. The room was about the size of a large living room. There was a stone fireplace set into the side of a wall with a couch. A small wooden table with an ashtray sat in front of the fireplace. A large king-sized canopy bed with purple sheets sat on the other side of the room, next to a window with a view of the Black Order grounds. A large walk-in dresser stood next to a large full-body mirror. Next to it was a black wood coat stand. A few paintings hung on the wall, and Tyki could see that there was a bathroom also attached to the room. Inside the bathroom was a large claw-foot tub, which in turn was flanked by an enormous marble shower. The counters were also lined with marble, and the handles of the sink’s faucet were set in silver. Along the wall was another full-body mirror with a towel cabinet next to it. Tyki stood in the doorway of his new room in awe. Even his room with the Earl was not as nice as this!

“Normally, your room would not be as nice as this, but because you have to be next to me at all times, the higher ups decided to give you a room closer to mine.” Allen commented, patting Tyki on the shoulder.

“Wait, so your room is like this too?” asked the man.

“Yeah. My first room was a lot smaller than this, but I moved when my synch rate went up past 100 percent. Your room would have only had a twin bed, a small dresser, and possibly a mirror if you didn’t have to be under constant watch.” Tyki nodded, somewhat glad he would be under Allen’s constant care for a while. He could get used to this. 

“Your stuff is over there, so you can unpack when we get back from the fair.” Said Allen, pointing over to a corner in the room. Apparently, the Order had thought to buy a few extra clothes for the man. “Now, I believe it is almost time to go. You have just enough time to take a shower and grab some clothes for the trip. I’m just down the hallway and will come for you in a half an hour.”

“Sure,” said Tyki, not looking away from his room. “I will be ready.”

“Good! See you in a little bit!” And with that, Allen disappeared.

************************************************************************************

Tyki let the hot water of the shower run over his body. How long had it been since he last took a shower? He couldn’t remember. Tyki’s thoughts wandered back to Allen. What an interesting person the boy was. Tyki could remember when he first met Allen on the train with his friends. Allen had stood out because of his white hair, and Tyki remembered that he had thought it suited the boy. Tyki closed his eyes, a small smile settling upon his face. How wonderful the warm water felt against his body. Tyki got out a few minutes later and dried himself off with one of the towels in the towel cabinet. It felt good to be clean! As the man looked over to the clock in his room he cursed. Allen would be there soon. He quickly changed into a new tuxedo and tied his hair up with a nice red ribbon. Grabbing a spare outfit, he sat on the couch waited for the boy to arrive.

True to his word, Allen returned for Tyki at exactly nine. Allen seemed to have also taken a shower, and the water from his hair dripped onto his new clothes. The boy was wearing a clean white shirt with a light gray vest over it. His pants were a darker shade of gray, and he was wearing black leather shoes. The boy topped the look off with a small red ribbon tied around his neck. IN his hand was a small leather suitcase, bound together with a buckle. Allen folded his arms across his chest.

“Do you ever wear anything else other than a tuxedo?”

“What is wrong with wearing a tuxedo?” asked Tyki, raising an eyebrow to the comment.

“Nothing, but you always seem to be wearing one.” Noted Allen, sitting down next to the man. Tyki grinned sheepishly.

“I just find Tuxedo’s very comfortable. Not to mention that’s all there was in the closet. Plus, when I was in my white form, I’d wear tattered clothes all the time!”

“Hmm, well it would not hurt for you to change your wardrobe every now and again. Remind us to buy you some new clothing while we are out.”

“But I thought we are going to a fair.” Said Tyki, looking over at the teen.

“We are,” replied Allen, getting up from his seat. “But there are going to be shops as well. Now, are you ready to go?” Allen held out his hand towards Tyki. Tyki smiled and grabbed hold of Allen’s outstretched hand. “Ready as I can be.”

“Then, off to Dublin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! Here is Chapter 16! I know that nothing interesting is happening in this chapter, but every chapter can’t be action or drama packed. There have to be slow times too! Again, I am sorry this isn’t my best work, but my editor for some reason won’t reply to the emails I’ve been sending her. The next chapter might also have this problem, but there is a scene in there that I hope you will all like. *evil grin* Anyway, enjoy! Please read and review!
> 
> ~AnimeGirl124~


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before the festivities

A half an hour later, Allen, Tyki, Lavi, and Lenalee were on a train to Holyland. The train ride was long yet smooth, and Tyki seemed to be enjoying himself. After all, it was a beautiful day outside, despite the snow of course. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, without so much as even the faintest outline of a cloud. They arrived at the platform about four hours later. Tyki stepped off the train and breathed in the cool air. It felt good to finally be outside again. He hadn’t seen the sky in months!

“This way Tyki!” directed Allen, pulling Tyki from his thoughts. Tyki turned to see Allen, Lavi, and Lenalee waving at him from off the platform. Tyki smiled and jogged over to them.

“You’ve been to Holyland before right Tyki?” inquired Lavi, a large grin plastered on his face. Tyki looked very unimpressed.

“No, but there’s a first time for everything.”

“Alright.” Lavi announced, clapping his hands together. “We have exactly two hours before our boat leaves for Dublin, so I would suggest that we all get something to eat in the mean time. Any suggestions?”

“I would like to go out for Italian if they have it here.” replied Lenalee, looking at her watch. “I think there is a restaurant a few blocks from here, so it should only take us a few minutes to get over there and order something. I hope you brought money Allen because we can only cover so much food.” Lavi chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I have money.”

Forty-five minutes later, the group was sitting at a large table enjoying a meal. Tyki had ordered some pasta while Allen had ordered one of everything from the menu. The waitress seemed surprised to hear the outlandish request, but kept her mouth shut and said nothing. As long at the boy had money to pay for the food, he could order whatever he liked. 

It had been a funny sight however, when she had come out with all of the food. She had to make several trips to the kitchen before all forty plates of food were sitting in neat rows in front of Allen. It was all Lavi could do to stop himself from rolling on the floor laughing as the girl tried to balance a tray on her head. 

Lenalee however took pity on the girl and help her carry out the last fifteen dishes. After everything was in place, the group dug into their food, the smell of lasagna and pizza filling the air. After the meal, Allen made sure to leave a large tip to the girl for all the trouble he had caused her. Then, it was off the docks.

“Allen, I’m surprised you didn’t go help the poor girl carry out your dishes.” scolded Lenalee as she boarded the boat. “A gentleman like you would have helped her in a second!”

“Sorry! I was afraid that I wouldn’t leave the kitchen if I went back there. The food smelt heavenly!”

“Allen would have eaten the restaurant out of business if he had gone to the kitchen!” laughed Lavi, before being whacked over the head by Lenalee.

“ _You_ should have helped out too, instead of sitting there and grinning like an idiot.”

“Sorry.” said the read-head, rubbing his sore head. Lenalee just gave him a look before sighing.

“Just think next time alright?” Lavi just looked over at her and smiled, causing a small tint of pink to cross the girl’s face.

The boat ride over the water was only a few hours long, but it was still pretty boring. There was nothing but seawater as far as the eye could see. The only thing exiting that happened on the trip were the dolphins. Lenalee was the first to spot a pod of dolphins, which seemed to play along the back of the boat. They soon migrated to the front of the ship, clicking and frolicking in the waves. The pod disappeared after a half an hour, but its brief appearance lessened the boredom immensely.

All throughout the boat ride, Tyki was entranced in deep thought. He reflected once again on his recent decision. Sure, he was part of the Order now, but everyone was still giving him the cold shoulder. If it hadn’t been for Allen, Tyki was convinced the other Finders and Exorcists would have murdered him by now. Tyki sighed. He shouldn’t be shocked. After all, how many of their friends had he killed? Even Eaze had blamed him for the death of Crack and Momo. 

Remembering the two friends, Tyki’s heart began to ache. How he missed his companions! He recalled when he had first met them in a pub after a job from the Earl. Crack was as drunk as a monkey and Momo was trying to get him out of the building before he passed out. No sooner had they left a band of bandits had attacked them, angry and drunk as well. It was Tyki who had helped fight off the scum, and helped Crack and Momo to their feet. He had helped them back to the hotel that they were staying at, wondering why he had done such a thing. It wasn’t until after Crack and Momo woke up to thank him that Tyki found out about the coal mine where they worked.

Being grateful to the stranger who had helped them, the two men had invited Tyki to join them at the mine. Tyki really had nothing better to do to pass the time between the Earl’s jobs, so he accepted the invitation. And thus began the three men’s friendship. It wasn’t until two years later that they had come across Eaze.

Eaze was found in a garbage can close to the coalmine. He was dirty and smelt horribly when they found him. Apparently, the boy’s parents had died in a fire a year ago and he was trying to get by on his own. He was so skinny Tyki thought the boy would have died within the week. Crack and Momo had taken the boy in, and that was that. From then on, nothing could separate the four from each other.

Tyki smiled faintly at the memories. How he had wished it could’ve stayed that way! Living two lives was rough, but it had its benefits. He had never imagined that one day the two lives would clash so fiercely.

Slowly Tyki pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and set it alight. His thoughts then turned to his other family, the Noah family. 

The Earl himself had saved him from the brink of death several hundred years ago. Dying from influenza, Tyki had thought his life was over. After all, there was no known cure for the illness. The Earl had saved him from that, saved him from the fear of dying, and revealed to him the true secrets of his nature: That he was a Noah; that he had the power to destroy Innocence and that his older brother was the same as him. 

Tyki pledged himself and his brother to be the Earl’s tool for as long as he lived. What was he going to do if he had to fight his family? Sure they were his enemy now, but Tyki wasn’t so sure that he could bring himself to harm Road if ordered to. 

Road was precious to him, as were the other Noahs, a fact he was loathe to admit. He couldn’t help but have feelings for them as well, what after spending over a century with them. His brother Cyril was a Noah. Did he have what it takes to kill his own brother? Closing his eyes Tyki inhaled deeply, the smoke from the cigarette filling his lungs. Smoking was a comfort to the man. It calmed him down at times like this. It wasn’t until then that Tyki realized the boat was finally pulling into the dock.

“Man, that boat ride was _long_!’ yawned Lavi as he raised his arms to stretch. “I thought we’d never get here!”

“Well, we did so just be thankful for that.” said Lenalee, rubbing her eye. “So, it’s about dinner time right now, anyone want to get something to eat before we go to the hotel?”

“I do, but I don’t know if I count since I’m always hungry.” replied Allen as he looked in Tyki’s direction. “Do you want something to eat?”

“Um, sure I guess.” said Tyki, caught off guard by the question. He hadn’t expected anyone to ask his opinion. “ I wouldn’t mind grabbing some food.”

“Perfect!” smiled Lavi. “Ok, I have no idea where we can get food, but there’s bound to be something around here.”

“Let’s go check that restaurant over there.” Allen then pointed toward a small building. “I can smell food coming from the door!” And once again, the group went out to order food. Allen ended up ordering six pots of fish stew along with three loafs of bread for dinner, while his friends simply ordered some baked potatoes and a large fish. Afterwards, the four silently made their way to their hotel, stomachs full of a delicious meal.

“Alright, Lenalee and I had to reserve three rooms for us, since there were only two single-bed one double-bed rooms available.” Said Lavi after they checked in. “I will be in room 36. Lenalee, you will be in room 34, and Allen and Tyki will be across the hall in room 35.”

“What?” Asked Allen, sounding shocked at the room arrangements. “Why do I have to share a room with Tyki?”

“Two reasons.” Replied Lavi. “One: You and Tyki have to stick with each other due to your punishment Allen,”

“But-”

“And two, Komui won’t let Lenalee share a room with another boy. He nearly fainted when we told him we would be staying in the same hotel!”

“But couldn't we have just stayed at another hotel where there was more room?”

“Allen, this was the hotel with the most room. Every other inn and hotel is full! Sorry Allen, but you and Tyki are just going to have to stay in the same room for the next few days.” Allen sighed, knowing it would be useless to argue farther.

“Let’s just go to our rooms.”

************************************************************************************

 _At least it has separate beds_ , thought Allen as he looked around the room. The room was very small, only sporting two beds, a dresser, and a mirror. To the right was a small bathroom, complete with toilet and shower. 

“Well this is cozy isn’t it?” commented Tyki, laying down on one of the beds. “Nothing like the rooms at the Order, but at least they have the essentials.”

“Yeah. I guess it works.” The room was silent for a good five minutes before Tyki spoke.

“It’s already ten o-‘clock, so I’m going to go to bed. We have to be up early to go to the fair right? Well I plan on being well-rested for tomorrows activities.” Getting up, Tyki walked over to his own suitcase. Quietly, Tyki began to undress, starting with his jacket then moving on to his shirt.

“Wait!” shouted Allen, jumping back from the man, a light blush apparent on his face. “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” yawned Tyki, still unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m getting ready for bed. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to sleep in my day clothes. Besides we’re both-.”

“S-still.” Interrupted Allen, turning around to face the opposite wall. “You could at least have the decency change in the bathroom.” Tyki stopped, looking over at the boy. While Allen was faced the other direction, he could still see a slight shading of pink covering the boy’s face. An evil grin crossed Tyki’s face. _Time for some fun_. Wordlessly, Tyki made his way over to Allen’s side of the room, stopping right behind the white-haired teen.

“Hey,” said Tyki, breathing down Allen’s neck and caressing the boy’s hip with one hand. “Could it be that you’re embarrassed to see me undressed?” Allen stiffened before jerking away and twirling to face the man.

“I-I’m not embarrassed!” Allen stuttered, his face now completely red. Allen’s heart was racing. Just seeing Tyki with his shirt partly unbuttoned was making him feel uncomfortable. _Gosh dang it it was happening again!_

“Oh? Then why are you not looking at me directly?” Tyki’s face was now down to Allen’s level, and he could feel the man’s breath hitting his face. He smelled like tobacco.

“I-It’s none of your business!” shouted Allen, finally breaking free of the man’s spell. “I’m going to bed, so goodnight!” And without another word, Allen plopped himself on his bed and pulled the covers over his body, ignoring the fact that he was still fully clothed. He could get changed later. Pulling the blankets over his head Allen could hear Tyki laugh at him from behind his back.

“Very well.” said the man, removing his shirt all together and leaving only his pants on before getting in bed. “Good night Allen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is chapter 17! Man! I can’t believe I’m this far into the story already! I am SO sorry that this chapter is a little later than the other ones (I accidentally slept in for once in my life), but I hope that TykixAllen moment that I put in there will make up for it! I was actually debating whether to delete that scene or not ( just would have put it later in the story), but I decided to keep it!
> 
> Hope you enjoy
> 
> ~AnimeGirl124~


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Years Eve

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when the wall clock went off. The small chimes of the clock sounded throughout the small hotel room. Allen groaned. He hadn’t slept well that night. Not with the memories of Tyki’s actions the past evening still fresh in his mind. Why had he reacted to the man’s touch? Why did his heart start to beat wildly in his chest again? He thought he had gotten over that!

_Tyki is just a friend!_ Allen thought vigorously. _He is nothing more than that!_

As the clock chimed its last note, Allen heard a rustling come from the other bed. Rolling over on his side Allen saw his roommate get up and stretch. Remembering the man was partly undressed, Allen turned his head before he saw anything. _Just a friend_ , he decided.

“Good morning Tyki.” said Allen as he got out of his bed. “We have about two hours until the fair starts, so I would suggest getting ready so we can get breakfast.”

“Right. You think Lavi and that girl are up yet?” Either Tyki had completely forgotten last night’s events, or he chose not to speak of them. Probably the latter.

“Most likely. Lavi was the one who told us to get up at this hour anyway. I think I heard Lenalee get up a few minutes ago.”

Tyki nodded. Grabbing a new set of clothes Allen headed towards the bathroom. Friend or not, he wasn’t going to get dressed in front of the man.

************************************************************************************

In two hours the group was standing at the entrance to Herbert Park. Tyki was amazed. There were booths _everywhere!_ The whole park seemed to be filled with little square stalls all neatly ordered in long streets. The smell of baked goods seemed to fill the air, along with the sounds of people laughing and talking with one another. As he looked further out Tyki could see a large wheel-shaped structure at the far end of the park, along with a few other stands. 

“Ok so here’s the plan today.” Lavi announced. “Since it’s New Years Eve tonight the fireworks aren’t going to go off until the end of the day. Until then we can walk around and do whatever we want. There are plenty of stores and other things to look at while we are here, so we can buy some things as well.”

Lavi seemed to pause before he looked at Tyki. “ As you know, you have to stay with us for the whole trip, so try to keep up.” Leaning closer Lavi muttered in a low voice. “While we do trust you to some degree, if you try to ditch us, we _will_ come after you.” Tyki sighed before nodding to the comment. “Good!” said Lavi, rubbing his hands together. “ Now, so long as you understand that, lets have some fun!”

“Um, would it be ok if we were to look at a shoe booth before we get started?” Lenalee asked as she looked around. “I need to get some new shoes since my lat pair was ruined in the Akuma attack.”

“Alright.” said Allen. “But I also want to get a new vest, and Lavi, you look like you could use some new pants! Oh! And also!” Allen looked over to Tyki and smiled. _We are just friends._ “We need to get him some new clothes.”

“Leave that to me!” said Lenalee. “While I may not be a boy, I do have some taste in men’s clothing!” Tyki was about to ask why, but Lenalee saved him his breath. “Nii-san never buys himself new clothes, so it is up to me to buy them for him.” Tyki nodded, not doubting her statement for a second.

“Ok, so first we go to the shoe store, then a clothing booth. We can get some lunch after that, and then go find a bookstore. Sound good?” asked Lavi.

“Yep!” said Allen and Lenalee in unison. Lavi leaned over to Tyki and whispered in his ear.

“Just to let you know, Lenalee and I are going to be buying Allen some late birthday gifts. His birthday was the 25th of December, so don’t let him know.” Tyki only nodded.

“Then lets go! Off to the shoe store!” Lavi shouted with enthusiasm.

“Yeah!”

************************************************************************************

Four hours later, Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, and Tyki were headed towards the end of Herbert Park. It had been a good day so far. After Lenalee bought a new pair of shoes and Allen got his vest (a nice new dark gray one with stripes), it was Tyki’s turn to get new clothes. 

The kids probably spent an hour in the booth, tying to get the perfect clothes for him. They refused to let Tyki get any more tuxedos. The settled on a black vest with silver buttons on the pockets. They bought him a nice gray bow tie ribbon to go with his new frilled white shirt. As for pants, they bought him a pair of skinny dark gray ones. They also managed to find a new pair of black leather shoes with a silver belt buckle on them and a white ribbon to tie his hair back with. 

Tyki was touched that Allen’s friends would be willing to spend the money on him. Still, he suspected that Allen had a part in the undertaking. While they were shopping, Tyki saw Lenalee buy Allen a new pair of white and gray gloves, and Lavi bought Allen a nice new book. Tyki however, had yet to buy the boy a gift.

The group of friends arrived at the other side of the park around five in the afternoon. The booths here seemed to be very different from the ones at the entrance of the park. For starters, there was a stand where you could shoot a gun at some targets. If you were lucky and could hit one, you could win a prize. Lavi somehow managed to bring home a small stuffed rabbit for Lenalee, who was very happy to receive the gift. 

It seemed that while the adults were buying things at the fair, all the children had gathered in this section of the park. There were kids _everywhere!_ It was all they could to not trample on small feet or bump into small bodies. 

The group finally stopped at a large booth that served full meals for dinner, much to Allen’s delight. Tyki felt bad for Lenalee and Lavi, who must have spent a fortune to feed Allen. Afterward, they went for dessert and got Allen a giant cake. Lenalee and Lavi also gave Allen his birthday presents during that time. Tyki somewhat felt bad for not getting Allen a gift, but Allen told him not to worry about it.

“Ok, now that we are done with dessert, what do you guys want to do?” asked Lenalee as she stepped from the bakery booth. “I personally want to check out more of the booths around here. They’re so cute!”

“”I want to go to the ring toss!” shouted Lavi, raising his arm. “Tyki, what about you?”

“Oh, I will do whatever you guys want to do.” said the Ex-Noah, looking around at the fair. “What about you, Allen?”

Allen seemed to pause before deciding. “I would like to ride that big thing over there!” said the boy, pointing to the large wheel-shaped structure. 

“The call that a Ferris wheel.” Tyki explained, craning his neck to see the top of the structure. “It was invented in France very recently.”

“Cool!” said Lavi. “So, if you guys want, we can either split up into groups of two, or travel together as one big group.”

“I vote traveling in groups of two!” Lenalee chirped, grabbing Lavi’s arm. Lavi blushed slightly.

“Any objections?” he asked.

Allen was going to object, but Tyki cut him off before he could say anything.

“Ok. We will meet at the bakery booth over there ten minutes before midnight.” said Lavi as he pointed in a direction. “See you then!”

“Sounds good! Ok, bye!” replied Tyki, waving at Allen’s friends as they disappeared into the crowd. Tyki turned to Allen and smiled. “Let’s go!” Allen seemed to pause before finally nodding in agreement. _We are just friends._

The two headed to the Ferris wheel in high spirits. Allen could not stop talking about the rest of the day’s plans. Since it was New Years Eve, all three Exorcists wanted to catch the first few moments of it near a clock tower. When they got to the Ferris wheel, Tyki made his decision. _This_ was where he was going to give Allen his birthday present. In truth, he had lied to Allen about not getting him a gift. He had bought it when they were at the Jeweler’s booth, but he had wanted to give it to Allen when they were alone.

“Attention girls and boys!” shouted a man over the speaker. “This will be the last ride of the night for the Ferris wheel. If you have not ridden it yet, I would suggest you try it! It’s good fun!”

“Hurry!” said Tyki, grabbing Allen’s sleeve and pulling him to the end of the line. “We need to make this one or you aren't going to be able to ride it.” Allen seemed surprised at Tyki’s eagerness to ride the Ferris Wheel, even though he was the one who suggested they go on it. To Tyki’s good luck, there was no one in line behind them, meaning that they would get a whole box to themselves. They boarded the Ferris wheel, and were off!

Looking down at the ground Allen could not help but smile. He had never gotten the change to ride a Ferris Wheel until now. Tyki was seated opposite of the boy. This Ferris wheel was smaller than the one he had gone on with Road a few years back. That time, 20 people could get into one car. This Ferris wheel seemed to fit only four people.

“Allen, come over hear, I have something for you.” Said Tyki, reaching into his pocket. “Allen sat down next to the Ex-Noah, a slight look of confusion crossing his face. Tyki pulled out a small flat box. “Happy belated Birthday, Allen.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have a birthday present for me.” said Allen as he looked at the red bow tied around the box.

“I lied!” Tyki replied simply. “I wanted to give this to you when we were alone.” Allen seemed to stop for another moment, then pulled the bow loose from the present. Slowly, he opened the small box, and blinked. Inside it was a pure silver medallion. Engraved in abalone shell was an image of a white swan. On the back, Allen could see his name engraved deep into the metal.

“Tyki.” Said Allen, holding the medallion up. “It’s lovely.” Allen looked at Tyki and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Really?” said Tyki, his face seeming to brighten. When Tyki had first seen the necklace, he had immediately thought of Allen, though he had been afraid to buy it because he thought Allen would say it was too girly. In truth, Allen _did_ think it was slightly girlish, but who was he to complain? After all, it's the thought that counts. Tyki was happy he had taken the risk in buying it for the boy’s birthday. 

“Do you need help?” the man asked as he watched Allen struggle to put on his new gift. 

When there was no reply, Tyki walked over to sit next to the boy.

“Here.” Brushing the hair from Allen’s neck, he felt the boy stiffen. The man guessed the boy was a little embarrassed at his action. Smiling, Tyki looped the medallion around the boy’s neck and closed the clamp. Allen turned around and smiled. The necklace sat right in between his sternum bone, the white swan glistening in the light.

“It looks beautiful.” remarked Tyki as he smiled down at Allen. “It fits you perfectly.” 

“Thank you for the wonderful present.” Tyki grabbed hold of Allen’s hand and looked into his eyes.

“Your welcome.” Allen seemed taken aback by the movement, before pulling his hand from Tyki’s and looking out the window of the car, smiling lightly. “Looks like we are close to the ground.” Allen turned to Tyki and smiled again. “Time to go.”

************************************************************************************

“Man Allen what took you guys?” asked Lavi as soon as they met up.

“There was a long line for the Ferris Wheel.” said Tyki, putting his hand on Allen’s shoulder.

“Hmmm. Well, you made it, so we are all ok. Oh?” Lavi bent down to inspect Allen’s neck. “Where did you get the pendant Allen?”

Allen smiled, looking embarrassed. “Tyki gave it to me as a birthday present.”

“Oh.” Lavi turned to Tyki. “But why did you not give it to Allen when we gave him his presents?”

“I didn’t have a present for him then.” Tyki lied. “I found it when Allen and I went to the Ferris wheel.”

“Hm. Well, it is a nice present.” Lavi straightened up and turned to Lenalee. “Anyway, we’d better hurry. New Years Day is only five minutes away!” Everyone nodded in agreement. “Luckily for everyone, I found the perfect place to see the fireworks, but we have to hurry!”

“Then what are we waiting for?” asked Allen as he gently removed Tyki’s hand from his shoulder. “Let’s go!” The teen began to take off in a direction, then stopped. “Wait Lavi, where is this place that you want to take us?” Lavi grinned.

“Just follow me!”

************************************************************************************

“Wow Lavi! How did you find this place?” asked Lenalee, looking over the ledge of the booth they were standing on. Lavi had taken them to a small abandoned booth at the edge of the fair, the roof having a perfect view of the clock. Despite it being empty, the booth was surprisingly stable. The friends could get onto the roof of the building without much difficulty. At the top, Lavi had prepared snacks and a bottle of grape juice, much to everyone’s amusement.

“I saw it when we were passing through town.” Lavi sat down on one of the blankets and looked at Lenalee. “Remember how I said I had to go to the bathroom earlier and told you I would catch up with you later?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, this is where I went. I bought some stuff from a nearby store and brought it here.”

“Wow! Thanks Lavi!” said Allen, taking a seat next to him. Allen and Tyki sat on the blanket next to them and looked up at the sky. Already they could see people getting ready for the New Year.

“We have less than a minute until it is the New Year guys.” said Lavi happily, looking at the clock. Do you have your wishes ready?”

“Yep!” the group replied in unison.

“Lady’s and gentlemen!” came a voice from the clock tower. “The new year is almost upon us! Please join me in counting down and welcoming the New Year!” A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd of people in the square. Then, the countdown began.

“TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE! ” The crowd chanted. The group of friends joined in.

“Four!” shouted Lenalee, looking at Lavi.

“Three!” shouted Lavi, smiling back at her.

“Two!” shouted Tyki, grabbing Allen’s hand.

“One.” Said Allen, looking at the sky and closing his eyes.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!” Shouted the crowd. A loud cheer erupted from the square. All around, people were cheering, hugging and kissing one another. Allen turned to look at Lavi and Lenalee, and saw Lenalee give Lavi a quick kiss on the mouth. Allen had never seen the red-haired Exorcist turn as red as he did then. Allen smiled at the sight before feeling Tyki squeeze his hand. He looked up to see Tyki looking at him and smiling.

“Happy New Year, Allen.” Whispered the Ex-Noah softly. And with that, Tyki planted a soft kiss on Allen’s cheek. Now it was Allen’s turn to blush. Then the full realization of what Tyki had done fully hit him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Tyki!” Allen exclaimed, pulling away from the Ex-Noah. “Why did you…?”

“Because I like you Allen.” Tyki replied simply. Allen looked very flustered at the comment. Tyki…liked him? As in _like_ like!?! Allen shook his head, trying to get his mind around the foreign concept.

“But Tyki,” began Allen, looking up at the tall man. “I’m not a g-”

“I don’t care Allen.” Said Tyki, looking at the sky. “I really like you.” Allen blushed deeply, not knowing what to say. Instead, Allen looked up at the fireworks. He would have some serious thinking to do when he got back to the Black Order.

************************************************************************************

The friends made their way back to the hotel around one in the morning. It had taken the group a while to get back from the fair. Allen had been silent all the way, saying nothing even after they got to their room. Tyki had also noticed the fact that Allen chose to sit next to Lenalee on the boat and train instead of him the next day. The whole time, Allen refused to even glance at the Ex-Noah. Even when they got back to the Order the next evening, Allen had barely glanced at the man before going to his room. Tyki sighed as he entered his own room. He could tell that the boy was troubled by Tyki’s actions at the fair. He wasn’t surprised though. What he has said would throw anyone off, possibly making their life a little more complicated. But the boy had to know his feelings, so it was a risk Tyki had been willing to take. What the man didn’t know, was _his_ life was about to be made more complicated as well.

“Hello Tyki.” spoke a voice from inside his room. Tyki froze, hand still on the door handle. He knew whose voice that was. “Long time no see,” said Road as she jumped off Tyki’s bed. “How have you been?”

“What are you doing here Road?” asked Tyki, closing the door behind him. If anyone saw here, it could cause a lot of problems.

“I’m here to take you back.” Road said simply, walking over to the Ex-Noah. “The Earl is missing you greatly.”

“Did you not get my message from the Akuma?” Tyki asked in a polite tone as he looked over his niece’s black face. “I said I don’t want to go back. I do not wish to have anything to do with the Earl anymore.” Road stopped in the middle of the room, her back turned to Tyki.

“So it was true.” She mused. She turned around to face Tyki again. “I had been hoping that the Akuma was lying, but it seems it was telling the truth. Why don’t you want to come back, Lord Tyki Mikk?”

“Please don’t call me that.” said Tyki, then taking a seat on his couch. “You know as well as I do that I am no longer a Noah.” Road just burst out laughing.

“Yes, you are, Tyki.” She said, trying to stop herself. “As long as you have your powers, you are a Noah, whether you like it or not.”

“I have lost my powers as a Noah.” said Tyki, finally stopping Road’s laughter. “Allen, or rather one of his friends, killed the Noah inside my body.” He lifted his arm to show her the silver ring on his hand. Suddenly, his hand began to glow with a green light. “I am now an Exorcist.” Tyki looked at his ring and muttered: “Innocence, Activate!” Road stepped back, a look of shock and confusion crossing her face.

“How?” she demanded, eying the gloves that now adorned Tyki’s hands. “How did you become an Exorcist? No, that is the wrong question. _Why_ are you an Exorcist?” Tyki turned his back to Road, a frown crossing his facial features.

“About a month ago, my human friends were killed in an Akuma attack.” said Tyki, closing his eyes. “Only one of my friends survived. It was then that I decided that I would no longer be working with you. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like you to leave.” Road just stood there, eyes never leaving Tyki’s hands. A small smile crossed her face.

“Very well, Tyki,” she said as she headed fro the window. “I will let you have your way for now. But do keep this in mind: This is not over.” She looked at him from the windowsill and smirked. “I _will_ come back to get you, and you will come with me, whether you want to or not.” Road laughed once more, then disappeared into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok here is Chapter 18! Man, I can’t believe I’m already here! Do you guys realize that you have read 34,996 words and 128 pages so far? That’s a TON!!! I can barely believe it myself! Thank you all for reading this story for so long! I really appreciate it! I am SO glad I made it on time with this chapter (Laziness struck BIG TIME this week so I had to write this all in one day!). I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it! I hope you like the romance scenes I put in for you! Enjoy!
> 
> ~AnimeGirl124~


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission...

_Darkness. All around was darkness._

_Where am I? He thought as he searched the black. As his eyes accustomed to the dark, he screamed._

_Dead. Everyone, dead. Blood flooded the dark. Kanda. Lavi. Lenalee. Komui. Reever. Johnny. Eaze. All were lying motionless on the ground._

_“LENALEE!!!!!!!” he shouted as he ran through the maze of corpses. “LAVI!!!!!!! KANDA!!!!! EAZE!!!!!!!” Suddenly, he stopped. There was the Earl, grinning his malicious smile._

_“YOU!!!!!!!!!!” He ran, ran as fast as his limbs could carry him. “YOU KILLED THEM!!!!!!!” The Earl said nothing. A flash, and he was on the ground as well. The blood of his friends ran past him in streams. Someone was on top of him. A man. He knew him, but how?_

_“No Allen,” whispered the man. “It wasn’t the Earl. It was you.”_

Allen woke with a start, his blood pounding in his ears. His breath was heavy, and he was soaked in sweat. 

_The same nightmare_ , he thought as he tried to steady his breathing. He had been having the same dream for the past week. Ever since he had come back from Dublin, his sleep had been plagued with images of death. 

_Why?_ He thought again. _Why is it always them?_ But Allen knew the answer. The 14th within him was causing these dreams. He knew it. There could be no other explanation. The words his master had told him still haunted his mind.

 _You’ll have to kill someone you love when you become the 14th._

Allen shuttered. No, it would not happen. He would make sure of it. He would never become the 14th if it meant killing someone he loved. Never. 

But why was he having these dreams now? Allen stopped.

 _I know the 14th is responsible for the dreams, but why hasn’t this happened before?_ Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. _Is it because he knows I’m stressed about-?_

A sudden knock on the door pulled the teen from his thoughts.

“Allen?” Came a voice from behind his door. _Eaze?_ “Allen, are you up?” 

“Um yeah just give me a second.” Stumbling from the bed, Allen opened up to see Eaze standing in his doorway.

“Hi Eaze.” said Allen, smiling down at the child. “What are you doing here?”

“I have come with a message!” replied Eaze, looking very excited. “You, me, and Tyki, have a mission today!” Allen looked at the boy in surprise. A mission? With Eaze and Tyki? “We get to go on a mission together!” repeated the boy, not seeing Allen’s discomfort. “Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah Allen,” added a voice from outside his room. Allen leaned out of his doorway to see Tyki leaning against the wall. “Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah.” said Allen, trying to sound excited for Eaze’s sake. “I can’t wait. When do we leave?”

“We leave at three this afternoon, so you have some time.” Eaze looked over at Tyki. “You guys had better be ready by then! We will be going to Portugal!” And with that, the seven-year-old boy disappeared, leaving Allen and Tyki alone. The silence was deafening between the two of them.

“So,” commented Tyki, looking past Allen’s head to see his bed. “Is this your room?” Allen nodded, noticing how Tyki was getting leaning closer to him. “Have you thought about what I said on New Year’s Eve?” Again, Allen nodded, feeling Tyki backing him into his room. 

The man was definitely getting too close for his own good. Tyki finally pinned Allen against a wall and placed his hand next to his face. “I just want to let you know that what I said then is true. I really do like you.” Tyki looked away but still kept Allen pressed to the wall. “Maybe more than I should.” Tyki straightened and took his hand away. “If you ever want to go out sometime, just let me know. Anyway, I am looking forward to my first official mission. I will see you in an hour. Oh, and you might want to take a shower before then. You smell like sweat.” And with that, Tyki left. Allen shook his head and sighed. He could tell this mission was going to be a difficult one.

************************************************************************************

Two and a half hours later, Allen, Tyki, and Eaze were on a train to Portugal. They were going to be gone for three days, so all three of them had suitcases with them. Tyki turned to Allen and saw that he was wearing Tyki’s birthday gift around his neck. Tyki smiled. _At least he’s still wearing it._ The train ride lasted for what seemed like ages, even though Eaze was doing everything he could in his power to make conversation. After about an hour the boy stopped his efforts and took a nap. Allen and Tyki made no conversation for the entire train ride.

In truth, Allen wasn’t happy that he was on this mission with Tyki. In fact, the boy had made a point of avoiding the black-haired man ever since they had gotten back from the fair. He knew a week had already passed, but he still didn’t want to talk to him. Not after…well, after the New Year.

When they finally got to Portugal, they met up with their Finder and went to a hotel for the rest of the night. Luckily for Allen, everyone had his own room, meaning that he would not have to sleep on the floor next to Tyki. Allen shuttered at the thought as he entered his room. The room was a lot smaller than his room at Headquarters, but that was to be expected. It had one twin-sized bed, a bathroom, one lamp, and a table. Grabbing his nightclothes from his suitcase, Allen headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. As he changed, something flashed across the surface of the mirror. Looking at his reflection, Allen realized it was the swan pendant that had caught his eye.

 _Why am I still even wearing this?_ He thought as he unclasped the chain. The white bird seemed to glisten in the light of the room. _Sure it’s a birthday gift, but even so…_ he sighed. Gently, Allen took the bird and placed it in his suitcase, his mind clouded with confusion.

Suddenly, Allen felt the overwhelming urge to bathe. Sure, he had taken a shower earlier that morning, but right now he needed to think. 

Turning on the water, Allen reached over to touch the cheek Tyki had kissed the week before. He was still confused as to why the Ex-Noah would do such a thing. Stepping into the shower, Allen closed his eyes. The warm water felt good against his pale skin. As Allen washed himself, he thought of the Ex-Noah. Tyki was a very good-looking person, but smelt like cigarettes all the time. He was very tall, which most people considered attractive, but in this case he seemed to tower over Allen. In addition, the man was exceptionally composed, much unlike the rest of the Noah family. Tyki to be sure had feelings for other humans, or so he said. True, Tyki was nice now, but he had been a mass murderer before he had come to the Order. _But should I really be thinking about him this way?_

Allen sighed again. He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything. He didn’t know his feelings for the man, and he didn’t think he was going to know for a while. He knew it was rude to keep avoiding Tyki, but if he confronted him he wouldn’t know what to say. At least the man had, to some degree, respected his need to be alone. _What is he to me? Really?_

As Allen was brushing his teeth, he heard a hand bang against his door. Quickly spitting out the toothpaste, Allen let his guest in. To his surprise, it was none other than Eaze standing outside his room.

“Eaze,” said Allen. “Is anything wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong with me, but I want to ask you something.” the child replied, “May I come in?”

“Sure!” Eaze stepped into the room and looked around.

“Wow, this room is much smaller than your room at home!” exclaimed the child, sitting down on Allen’s bed.

“True enough.” Allen took a seat next to his friend. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“What’s wrong with you and Tyki?” asked Eaze. Allen froze. “You guys used to be on such good terms with each other,” the boy continued, “and now, you two are barely talking to one another. Well actually, it is more you who is not talking to Tyki.” Allen looked away, feeling embarrassed that the boy had noticed his discomfort. For a seven-year-old, the kid was very sharp.

“Well, it’s just that some stuff had happened, and I am just trying to figure it all out. It’s complicated.” Allen could not bring himself to look directly at his young friend. Eaze sighed and got up.

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it, you can talk to me.” he said. Allen was sure that he would never tell Eaze about his current problem, but he was touched that the boy wanted to help him. Allen smiled. 

“I will if I need to,” said Allen, looking at the boy. “Thanks for the offer.” 

Eaze smiled. “Well, I’m going to go to bed. See you in the morning Allen!”

“Good night Eaze.” said Allen as he watched the boy disappear into the hallway. It was time for Allen to go to sleep as well.

As Allen got into his bed, he thought about what Eaze had said. Sure, it was true that Allen liked Tyki's company, but he thought it was just because he _had_ to learn to like the Ex-Noah. The thought had never occurred to him that Tyki might actually be a _friend_ to him. Allen sighed and closed his eyes. He would figure everything out eventually.

************************************************************************************

Everyone got a bright and early start the next morning. The place that they were traveling to was a small town in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, a traveler had tried to stop in the town, only to find that everyone in the town had disappeared. As it turned out, all of the townspeople had fled underground due to constant Akuma attacks. The order would have normally left the town alone, as there were many towns with the same problem, but there had been reports of most of the Akuma being Level 3 and on the brink of becoming Level 4. It was up to Allen, Tyki, and Eaze to destroy them.

“Mr. Finder?” asked Eaze, looking around at his surroundings. “How much longer have we got to go before we get there?”

“We are almost there.” replied the Finder, looking at the young Exorcist. “Try to be patient.”

“This is getting boring!” complained the boy. “Tyki, could you carry me? My feet can’t carry me another step.”

“Sure Eaze.” Said Tyki, lifting the boy onto his shoulders.

“Yay!” Eaze hugged Tyki’s head. “Thank you Tyki! Now, onward!” Eaze pointed his arm in the direction of the town. Tyki just smiled and continued to walk.

After about a half an hour, the Finder and three Exorcists arrived at the town. True to the reports, the town was abandoned. Homes lay with broken windows, and stores without any supplies in them. Every building seemed to be damaged. The group managed to find the entrance to the town’s underground hideout, and was surprised to see that so many people had survived the attacks. The town’s mayor said that the Akuma came for them at night, so they would have to wait to see them.

Allen wandered around the cave the town was hiding in. The cave was filled with stalactites and stalagmites, and was a fairly large cavern. Allen could have walked for hours and never found where the caves ended. Luckily for the townspeople, the Akuma had not found a way into the caves yet.

“Hello Allen,” whispered a voice behind a stalagmite. Allen turned to see Tyki approaching him. _Oh no not again!_ thought Allen, trying to get past the Ex-Noah.

“Not now Tyki,” Allen was more than a little annoyed that Tyki kept pestering him. “I don’t have time to deal with you right now.” Tyki looked slightly offended by his comment.

“I was only coming over to tell you that it was dinner time.” Tyki muttered, looking down. Allen mentally slapped himself for immediately thinking that Tyki came over to annoy him.

“Sorry.” Allen apologized, passing Tyki and heading for the Eaze and the Finder. “I didn’t-” But Allen never finished his sentence, because at that moment, the roof of the cave collapsed. Everyone turned to see five Level 3 Akuma come through the ceiling.

“Innocence, Activate!” shouted Tyki and Allen in unison. Allen dodged as another Level 3 appeared above them.

“Crown Edge!” shouted Allen, his claw coming into contact with the Akuma’s head. The Akuma shrieked, then fell to the ground in a ball of flame. Allen turned to see Eaze activating his Innocence and destroying more Akuma. Allen hoped the boy would be all right. After all, this was Eaze’s first time fighting since the invasion.

“Judgment!” came Tyki’s voice from across the way. Allen turned to see the Finder trying to usher the townsfolk deeper into the caves while Tyki was covering them. The scene reminded him too much of the Miner’s Massacre. Allen saw a mother carrying her child and her daughter running after her. The Akuma made a dive for the girl, but Tyki intercepted the attack and destroyed it before it could reach her. So far, everyone seemed to be holding his own against the Akuma. Sadly for them however, the battle was just beginning. As Allen looked up, he saw at least 20 other Level 3 Akuma swoop into the cave. And made their way towards the townspeople. Eaze tried to intervene, but was easily kicked out of the way. The boy was flung back and hit the side of the cave.

“Eaze!” shouted Tyki, trying to make his way over to the boy. But it was no use, if he left his place, the Akuma would swarm the cave and kill the townspeople. Unfortunately for Tyki, the Akuma saw his hesitation and gave him a slash in the arm.

“Tyki!” shouted Allen, running over to the fallen man. “Edge End!” The Akuma heading into the passage were easily cut in half from the attack. Allen took over Tyki’s spot as guard while Tyki tried to get up. The cut in his arm was deep, but it didn’t cut through the bone. Tyki would be fine, even if he could no longer use his arm for the time being.

“Punishment!” shouted Tyki, shooting energy from his fingers into the Akuma’s bodies.

“Tyki!” shouted Allen, “Don’t stain yourself! Go and help-” All of a sudden, Allen’s cursed hand began to glow. Allen looked to see the Innocence inside his hand start to glow brightly. Allen looked over to Tyki, only to see Tyki’s Innocence start to glow as well. _What is going on here?_ But Allen never got to voice his question.

“Allen look out!” shouted Tyki, as he jumped in front of the white-haired Exorcist. Allen had just enough time to see a Level 3 Akuma whack Tyki in the side of the head. Allen heard a sickening crunch, before Tyki’s body flew threw the air and hit the side of the cave. 

“Tyki!” shouted Allen, waiting for the Ex-Noah to get up. Tyki lay on the ground motionless, eyes closed. “Stop this!” shouted Allen, as he threw himself at the Akuma. Allen pulled off his left arm, turning it into a sword. “Death Ball!” he shouted. The ball of energy hit five Akuma, who all combusted into a million pieces before realizing what had hit them. 

Allen turned to the five other remaining Akuma. “Energy Ark!” he cried as the sword made contact with the group of Akuma. The Akuma shrieked, then fell to the floor and combusted. Allen straightened and took a look around the cave. The townspeople’s section of cave seemed to be ok, but the rest of the cave was in taters. All that was left of the stalagmites and stalactites were stumps on the floor and ceiling.

“Allen!” shouted Eaze’s voice form across the cave. Allen turned to see Eaze holding Tyki’s head in his lap. “You have got to come quick!” the boy shouted. “Tyki is not waking up!” Allen ran over to the boy, who was beginning to cry.

“Tyki?” groaned Allen, taking the Ex-Noah into his hands. “Tyki. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.” Allen felt nothing. “Tyki!” said Allen, a little bit more frantically. Blood was starting to pool at his feet. “Tyki! Wake up!” Allen turned to their Finder. “Contact headquarters immediately and have them prepare the medical team. Tyki Mikk had been injured and is not responding.”

“Yes sir.” Said the Finder, setting off to find his phone backpack. Allen turned to Tyki again, trying to not panic. Allen pulled up Tyki’s sleeve to see more blood flowing from the cut.

“Is there a doctor in this town?” shouted Allen. “Tyki needs to be treated immediately!” Allen saw a man step forward from the townspeople and run over to him. The man inspected Tyki’s body for several minutes, not making a sound. After a moment, the man straightened.

“It seems that monster cracked part of this man’s skull.” Allen felt his breath quicken.

“Don’t worry,” said the doctor, looking at Allen. “Your friend is not going to die of this wound. He will to be on bed rest for a while, but he should be fine. His arm will need stitches though. As for his coma, I am afraid there is nothing I can do but make him comfortable.” Allen turned to see the Finder running over to them.

“I have contacted headquarters, and they are sending out more Miranda Lotto and three other Finders to help us transport him.”

“Good,” sighed Allen turning back to Tyki. “Hang on Tyki, we will be going home soon.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regret...

The next day, Allen, Eaze, Miranda, Tyki, and the Finders were back at home. Miranda had temporarily healed Tyki’s arm and head, but he still needed stitches when they returned. Miranda had not however, taken Tyki out of his coma. She thought it would be best for him to sleep and restore his energy. Tyki was now in the hands of God, which was not a very promising thought to Allen, considering that Tyki had been doing nothing but bad things up until he came to the Order.

It was now a week later, and Allen was starting to get worried. Tyki lay in a hospital bed, looking like he was asleep, but Allen knew better. He just had to hope that Tyki would wake up soon. 

“Allen?” came a voice from the doorway. Allen turned to see Lenalee and Lavi coming up behind him.

“Hey guys.” said Allen quietly. “What are you-?” Allen stopped. “Lavi! What happened to your eye?” The red-haired exorcists’ only remaining eye was now a dark shade of black and purple. Lavi grinned sheepishly.

“It was Nii-san’s fault.” answered Lenalee sadly.

“Why?”

“Well, we kind of told him we are...going out.” 

Allen blinked. “You two, are...dating?”

“Yeah. We have been since New Year’s.” Suddenly Lavi’s face got dark. “Komui-san didn’t like it one bit.”

“He punched Lavi before I could do anything.” said Lenalee, feeling ashamed. “Reever and the others are holding him off for now, but we don’t know how long that’s going to last.”

“I’m assuming he’s throwing a fit as well?”

“One like you’ve never seen.” muttered Lavi. “If things don’t get better soon, I’m going to start fearing for my life.”

“I don’t think Komui-san would hurt you if you are important to Lenalee.” Allen tried to comfort his friend. “He will stop eventually.”

“I highly doubt that. Anyway, we’ve come down to visit Tyki.” Lavi pulled up a seat next to Allen. “Has he woken up yet?” The teen shook his head.

“No, he hasn’t. I’m starting to worry that he never will.”

“Allen!” Lenalee sounded appalled. “Don’t say that! Of course he will get better!”

“I don’t know. You didn’t see how hard he hit that wall. And there was so much blood.”

“You should thank Miranda for what she did.” noted Lavi.

“I already did, about ten times by now. If it weren't for her…well, things might not have gone as well.” Silence seemed to enshroud the group, the only sound being Tyki’s slow and steady breathing.

“Hey Allen,” Lavi said breaking the silence. “Lenalee and I were wondering if you wanted to get a bite to eat.”

“You’ve been here all day, you must be hungry.” Added the girl. Right on cue, Allen’s stomach growled.

“I would, but if I go who will watch over Tyki?”

“The nurse can manage him for a half an hour.”

“But what if he wakes up while I’m gone?”

“Then the nurse can come and get you immediately.” Allen seemed to hesitate.

“Come on, it will just take a few minutes.” Another growl from Allen’s stomach made up his mind.

“Alright. We can get something to eat.”

************************************************************************************

Five minutes later, Allen and his friends were in the cafeteria. Across the way, Allen could see Eaze and Timothy eating and talking with one another. Allen smiled. He was glad that Eaze and Timothy had become friends. It would be good for Eaze. He needed to be around kids his own age.

“Hello Allen~!” Came Jerry’s voice from his left. “I didn’t see you this afternoon for lunch! Has something happened?” Jerry looked very distraught.

“No, I was just taking care of Tyki. I’m sorry that I didn’t come up to eat.” The cook didn’t seem to think it a legitimate excuse. “Tell you what, can I have a sub sandwich with everything, a pot of beef stew, five helpings of spaghetti, two pans of lasagna, curry, a large salad, a hamburger, some French fries, a salmon, chicken pot pie, fried tofu, a hot dog, two watermelons, five pizzas, cooked shrimp, ten meatballs, three enchiladas, six tacos, three burritos, a roasted chicken, sushi, a steak, a banana split, chocolate mouse, and a cherry pie please?”

“Oh that sounds wonderful!” Said Jerry, twirling around in place. “I’ll have you’re food ready in a few minutes! Ah! And what would you like Lavi-san? Lenalee-chan?”

“Just some pasta with meatballs for us.” answered Lavi grinning. “We can share.”

“Alright! Come back in a few minutes and your food will be ready!” Allen smiled. Jerry really loved his job.

“LAVI!!!!!!!!!!” came a voice from the dining entrance. Lavi froze, his eyes wide with terror.

“Komui!”

“LAVI!!!!!!!” Shouted Komui again, vigorously scanning the dining hall. In his arms were some very dangerous-looking machines. “Where are you? Where is my Lenalee! You won’t lay a finger on her!” Spotting Lavi Komui smiled.

“FOUND YOU!!!!!” He shouted, and charged.

“Run Lavi!” cried another voice. Allen turned to see Reever and Johnny enter the cafeteria, flailing their arms wildly. “We can’t restrain him!”

Lavi didn’t need to be told twice. Lavi sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. If Komui got a hold of him, his life was over. 

“YOU WON’T ESCAPE!” screamed the director. “HOW DARE YOU SAY YOU’RE GOING OUT WITH LENALEE!!!!”

“No Komui!” shouted Allen, jumping in front of Komui’s path. Turning his arm into a sword, he pointed it at the charging man. “Stop this!” Komui knocked him over as if he were a fly. With a cry, Allen was sailing in the air, before landing painfully on a dining table.

“Allen!” called Reever, running over to the injured teen. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, somehow, anyway, just stop Komui before he does something!”

“I’m trying!” yelled Johnny, who was now chasing the director around the room. “He’s really fast!”

“Komui-san, we didn’t say that to make you angry! I was just telling the truth!” Shouted Lavi behind his back. “We thought we should let you know because you’re her older brother!”

“Older brother is right!” Komui yelled. He was starting to gain on Lavi. “I’m her guardian and I say she’s too young to be dating!”

“But if it was left up to you she would never date!”

“Exactly!” Komui was right behind him. With a cry and a pounce, Komui was upon him.

“Dark Boots!” Shouted Lenalee, her voice rising above everyone else’s. Komui looked up to see his sister floating above his head. He barely had time to swallow before he was hit over the head by one of her shoes. For a moment, all was still. Then:

“Ow! Lenalee did you have to hit me so hard?” Whined Komui, rubbing a large, painful bump on his head.

“I didn’t hit you very hard!” She stated as she looked down at her brother. “I didn’t want it to come to this but Lavi and I are dating and you are just going to need to accept that!”

“No! I won’t accept it!” Argued her brother. “Why are you going out? You are way to young to be dating!”

“We’re dating because Lavi is very precious to me!” cried Lenalee, her voice seeming to rise. “If you hurt him I won’t be able to forgive you!” Komui stopped, his eyes widening.

“Lavi-san…is precious to you?”

“Yes! He is very important to me!”

“But, but don’t I matter?” Lenalee sighed.

“Nii-san, I love you very much, but I care about Lavi as well.” Lenalee’s voice seemed to soften. “At first, I didn’t know what my feelings were for Lavi. I cared for him deeply, but something wasn’t right. But after giving it some thought I realized, my feelings for Lavi were different.” Allen’s thoughts immediately flew to Tyki. 

“I didn’t know what my feelings were for a long time. I had always considered Lavi my friend, but as time when on, I realized that I cared about him in a different way. And after a while, I was able to work up the courage to tell him how I felt. When I heard that his feelings were the same, I was really happy. But then I thought about what you would do if you found out, and I got scared. I didn’t want Lavi to get hurt because of us. But Lavi said that you needed to know, regardless of the danger so we told you. I care about Lavi a lot.” 

“But-”

“And that’s when I realized, that no matter what you say, my emotions will not change. It’s my decision Nii-san, not yours! So please, just accept us! That’s all we want.” Komui said nothing, looking at the floor. Allen’s breath was held too, waiting to hear Komui’s verdict. Finally, the man spoke.

“Alright. I accept you two are…d-dating.” Lenalee’s face broke into a smile.

“Nii-san, thank you!” She cried, throwing her arms around her brother. Tears of joy were now streaming down the girl’s face.

“Thank you, Komui-san, for accepting our relationship.” Said Lavi, patting the director on the shoulder. “I will take good care of her.”

“You had better, or so help me I’ll track you down to the ends of this Earth.” Lavi seemed to chuckle.

“I know.”

************************************************************************************

A half an hour later Allen was back in the hospital room. Now that everything was solved with Lavi and Lenalee, the teen was once again left alone.

Allen rested his head against Tyki’s bed, looking at the sleeping form. Watching the man’s chest rise and fall, he thought about what Lenalee said. She was the same as him. Their thoughts were the same. Gently, Allen placed his hand on Tyki’s and squeezed lightly.

“Come on Tyki,” he said, looking at the Ex-Noah’s closed eyes. “Wake up.” But of course, Allen’s words were in vain. Tyki didn’t even stir. “Please Tyki, wake up soon. We miss you.” 

Allen had a feeling he was going to regret what he was about to say later, but he didn’t care. He needed to say it, for his sake and Tyki’s. It wouldn’t matter that he was saying it here though; Tyki could not hear anything he said. “Ever since you came here, I have been watching over you.” Allen placed his head down on the bed again. “During the time that I have been with you, I have noticed that you have changed from the way you used to be. When I first met you as a Noah, you killed Suman, cut off my left arm, and left me to die in the bamboo forest. If it had not been for Bak, Fou, and everyone in the Asian Branch, I would have died there. After I woke up, I began to hate you, even more than Road. Yet when I met you again, I still wanted to save your soul.” 

Allen felt the blood begin to rise to his face. “I still didn’t want to kill you, even though you had tried to kill me. At first, I thought it was only because of the promise I made to Mana, but as time passed, I realized that that was only part of it.” Allen could not stop blushing now. “I realized that there was something about you, that made me want to try and get to know you, and understand you.” Allen buried his head deeper into the blankets, his face feeling hot. He could not back down now. He had made his decision, and he was going to finish what he started. “You have changed so much since you came here, and have finally seen the light. And when that happened, my feelings for you, started to change.” 

“At first I thought that I thought you were a good friend of mine, but when I heard what you had to say on New Year’s, I realized that my feelings for you were different that the one I have for my friends. I guess what I am trying to say is, I care about you too, Tyki Mikk. So please, wake up.” Allen looked over at Tyki again, looking for some form of movement. Allen sighed and rested his head on the blankets once more. “I knew you wouldn’t hear me.” Suddenly, Allen felt a light squeeze on his hand. Allen’s head flew up to see Tyki’s eyes begin to flutter. A small smile was set on the Ex-Noah’s face.

“So you finally said it.” said Tyki, looking at Allen’s astonished face. Allen quickly jumped up, his face beginning to turn red again.

“Wait, you heard me?” he asked. Allen’s voice was no louder than a whisper. “You heard everything I said?”

“No, but I heard most of it.” Said Tyki, pulling Allen closer to him. “I heard you say that you like me too.” Allen tried to pull away but it was no use. Tyki’s grasp on his arm was strong. “I was very happy to hear that part.” Tyki pulled Allen even closer to him, so that he was looking the boy in the face. “I love you, Allen Walker.” Allen didn't even have time to think of a response, for at that moment, Tyki kissed him softly on the lips. Allen just stood there, frozen. Tyki’s smelt faintly of cigarette smoke, but Allen could fell the truth behind Tyki’s words. After a few moments, Tyki released the boy, who pulled away quickly, blushing madly. 

“Tyki, isn’t this a little weird? I mean I’m a…you know…” Tyki seemed startled for a moment, then he smiled.

“I already told you that I don’t care, Allen.” He said, answering the unfinished question. “The person I like just happens to be you, and there is nothing wrong with that, so long as you are ok with it too.” 

Allen only nodded, the blush still not dying down. Tyki smiled and laid back down. “I am very glad to hear that.” Tyki closed his eyes and released Allen from his grip. “Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to go back to sleep. According to the pain in my arm, I can tell that it has not fully healed yet.” Tyki opened one eye to look at Allen again. “Goodnight, Allen Walker.” And with that, Tyki drifted back into unconsciousness. Allen stared at the Ex-Noah for a moment longer, then smiled as well.

“Goodnight, Tyki Mikk.” He whispered, placing a hand on Tyki’s head. “I will see you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 20! It's so funny cause when I wrote this chapter, it was only 3 pages long. Now it's 9! How did that happen? XDDDD Enjoy!
> 
> ~AnimeGirl124~
> 
> P.S., Yes, I know the ending was very cliché, but hey it works.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok this is a fanfic that I've been working on for almost 2 years. It's originally posted on Fanfiction.net under the pen name AnimeGirl124. It's also on DeviantARt under the same pen name as my FF.net. I have up to chapter 30 posted on FF.net, so if you want to continue reading go there. I'll be losting all the chapters here as well. I really hope you enjoy this!


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